Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon)

"The money will go through for sure. Go ahead and place the order first. It'll arrive by tonight or at the latest, tomorrow," Janice said.

"If it still hasn't arrived by then, call the bank and push them."

Janice's expression remained cold. "Alright."

"By the way..." Simon hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Janice, now that all our misunderstandings are cleared up and since you clearly want to get back together with me, I've also decided to forgive your past recklessness. We can go back to the way things were, back to being a loving family. What do you think?"

Janice took a sip of coffee. "What are you trying to say?"

"Janice, you and I are on the same side. Edward is only interested in you for your looks. Working for him will get you nothing in the end. You should trust me instead. You shouldn't be helping him compete in the international competition."

Simon then shifted his tone and laughed. "Why don't you just hand over that Jasmine Stitch Crochet piece? I have a way to get it into an international championship coming up soon."

On the other end of the line, there was only silence.

Simon grew anxious and blurted out, "If you agree to give me that crochet piece, I'll marry you on the spot and make you the distinguished Mrs. Fitzgerald. What do you say? Janice, just because you got lucky once doesn't mean you should get cocky. I'm only looking out for your hard work, so you should appreciate this rare opportunity I'm giving you. Isn't that right?"

Even at this point, he still thought he was superior.

Suppressing the disgust rising in her throat, Janice refused, "That's impossible. The competition materials have already been submitted, and withdrawals are considered forfeits."

"You..."

Just as Simon was about to explode, his phone rang. It was a call from the Solterra materials supplier. Without hesitation, he hung up on Janice.

"Mr. Carter?"

Steven Carter, the same supplier who had sent a gift to Edward, said quickly, "Mr. Fitzgerald, do you still want this batch of goods? If not, I'll sell it to someone else."

"I want it! I'll transfer half of the 40 million payment today!" Simon was in a hurry. "Alright."

Simon rushed to the bank and transferred 20 million dollars into Steven's account.

His bank balance was down to just 40 million dollars. He still had to pay the remaining balance later. On top of that, he needed to set aside funds for employee wages and end-of-year dividends for the other shareholders.

By the time he calculated everything, he barely had ten million dollars left to keep the company running. He could only hope this batch of goods would bring in enough profit.

In addition, he needed to get a crochet piece from Heidi for the upcoming Spring Tournament.

Just as he thought of her, Heidi's call came through. Her voice was low, almost hesitant, as she asked to meet.

...

Heidi arrived in the quiet café heavily disguised. She was even wearing sunglasses indoors.

Simon sat down across from her. She skipped all the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Are you still in contact with Janice?"

Pride gleamed in Simon's expression as he eagerly shared how Janice had been helping him. Hearing this, Heidi clenched her fists. So, that woman really was playing both sides.

Her voice grew urgent. "That's perfect! I need you to do something for me. If you succeed, all the fame and fortune will be yours."

"What is it?"

Heidi's eyes gleamed with calculation. "The international competition starts in early March. You need to steal Janice's crochet piece to prevent her from participating."

"Steal?" Simon froze.

Heidi explained, "The submitted

crochet pieces are stored in a

secure safe inside the National Crochet Union's building. The safes

are provided by the union, bu ME

passcodes are set by the

seamstresses themselves. If what you said is true and Janice still loves you, all you need to do is sweet-talk her into giving you the passcode. As for getting inside, I can take you there."

Simon hesitated. He wanted Janice's crochet piece, but outright stealing it? That

was a different matter.

"Stealing... Isn't that too risky?"

Heidi scoffed, "If you don't steal it,

how else will you get it? Besides, Janice has shares in Refined

Threads Co. Even if this gets exposed, you can pin the blame on her. Just say she was trying to profit from both sides, and no one will blame you. Do you really think she'll just hand it over if you ask?"

Of course not. She had already refused him outright. That thought alone made

Simon furious. He wanted to slap that ungrateful woman.

Sensing his hesitation, Heidi coaxed him further.

"As long as Janice loses that

crochet piece, she won't be able to enter the competition. Are you really willing to risk the judges giving her an award? She's already been sneaking around with Edward behind your back. If she gets famous, do you think she'll listen tonoveldrama

you? Do you really want to lose control of her?"

That struck a nerve. The idea of Janice becoming stronger made him feel an overwhelming sense of urgency.

Gritting his teeth, he made up his mind. "Fine. I'll arrange a meeting and get the passcode from her."

A satisfied smile flickered in Heidi's eyes. "Then, I'll be waiting for good news from you, Mr. Fitzgerald."

That night, as soon as Janice stepped out of the National Crochet Union building, Edward's video call came through.

He was dressed in a crisp shirt and tailored trousers, his hair neatly trimmed. His gaze was sharp and commanding, carrying an air that warned against provocation.

He asked, "What made you visit the National Crochet Union?"

Janice got into her car and buckled her seatbelt. "Simon brought up the crochet

piece today, and I rejected him. His way of thinking is not like a normal person. If he gets desperate and tries to steal my crochet piece, that would be a disaster. So, I changed the passcode."