With that, Mrs. Fu kicked him out.
Nathaniel Fu stood frozen. "…Mom."
"Shut it! You're thirty, for heaven's sake, and still calling 'Mom, Mom' like a little boy. What a mama's boy! Get lost!"
Bang!
The door slammed shut in his face.
Nathaniel stood outside in stunned silence. "…"
Back at the Fu Group.
Lin Jiaojiao stormed in. "Move! I need to see President Fu!"
"Ms. Lin, please wait a moment. Let me inform him first—"
Before Secretary Song could finish, Lin Jiaojiao had already shoved past and pushed open the office door.
"President—"
Nathaniel Fu raised his hand, signaling Secretary Song to step back. Lin Jiaojiao walked up, her tone sharp. "Where's my brother? What did you do to him?"
Nathaniel's sharp features were calm but cold, his brow shadowed by restrained frustration. "Your brother's already in custody. He's been charged with attempted rape. Whatever the court decides, that's the sentence he'll get. He's looking at around five years."
"Five years? My brother would never do something like that…"
Nathaniel's lips curled into a merciless sneer as he cut her off. "Save it for the judge. There's no point telling me."
Lin Jiaojiao clenched her fists, glared at him, and turned on her heel to leave.
Secretary Song stepped forward and whispered, "President, Miss Lin is very close to Miss Su. I'm guessing she's gone to her already. If Miss Su were to beg you for leniency…"
Nathaniel didn't respond. Instead, he sat back in his chair and tapped on the surveillance footage.
Sure enough, the video showed Lin En approaching Rosalie Su before entering the private room.
The footage inside the room captured the moment Lin En and Rosalie exchanged a few words before Lin En suddenly lunged at her. Everything matched Rosalie's statement.
Just then, Secretary Song received a phone call. He hung up and looked at Nathaniel with an awkward expression. "President, Miss Rosalie is still crying and visibly shaken. She asked to see you. Do you want to go comfort her?"
Nathaniel shot him a sidelong glance. "Secretary Song, does it look like I have time to play babysitter?"
"N-no, of course not…"
"Then maybe I should teach you how to handle people who cry?"
"…"
Secretary Song nearly choked on his breath. His boss was clearly in a terrible mood and was taking it out on him. Was he supposed to be the emotional punching bag?
After Secretary Song left, Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Celia's face flashed through his mind—those innocent, bright eyes paired with her tempting charm, and that tiny Band-Aid on her cheek. He suddenly had the urge to press her into the sofa and kiss her until she was breathless.
He grabbed his phone, only to find it blank.
They had argued the night before, and she hadn't texted since. Even after everything that had happened today, she hadn't reached out. Smart girl. She was quick to adapt.
At Yipinlan Villa.
Lin Jiaojiao arrived, and Celia brought her upstairs to her room.
After checking Celia's injuries, Lin Jiaojiao anxiously asked, "Cici, what should I do now?"
"Jiaojiao, I can't ask Nathaniel for help. My words hold no weight with him. Your brother hurt Rosalie. Nathaniel won't let him off just because of me."
"I know, Cici. I wasn't expecting you to plead for him. I just… I can't believe my brother—he's always been so gentle. How could he be so blinded by Rosalie Su that he'd… force himself on her?" Lin Jiaojiao's voice trembled with disbelief.
Celia gently held her hand. "Jiaojiao, I don't believe he did. Rosalie framed him."
Jiaojiao's eyes widened. "Cici, do you know something?"
Celia winked mischievously at Yu Jie, who had just brought in some tea.
"We don't need to go begging Nathaniel for this," she said with a smirk. "I've got a better plan. Leave everything to me."