Chapter 789
Teresa, noticing Laney’s concern, interrupted with a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry. I won’t expect you to work now. You can return to the workplace after your maternity leave.”
Touched by Teresa’s thoughtfulness, Laney nodded. “Thank you, Teresa.” Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Teresa smiled warmly. “You’re welcome. As long as you’re willing to help me, we can work things out. It’s not easy to find a female bodyguard as skilled as you, so I can’t just let you go.”
Flattered, Laney replied, “I’ll do my best. I won’t let you down.”
Seeing Laney’s agreement, Teresa breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Glancing at her watch, she realized it was time for work. After bidding Laney farewell, she stood up and left.
Recalling their dwindling supply of daily necessities, Laney decided to go shopping with lan and Anya.
At the supermarket, lan expertly selected baby supplies while Laney pushed the stroller. “These diapers are soft and fit well, perfect for the baby,” lan remarked, tossing a pack into their shopping basket.
Laney held up another bag of diapers, teasing, “What about these?”
lan examined the pack, shook his head, and replied, “Although the quality is good, they’re too thick. Anya overheats easily, so they’d likely cause a heat rash.”
Surprised, Laney raised an eyebrow. “How do you know so much about diapers?”
lan grinned, “As a competent assistant, choosing the most suitable products for you and Anya is a basic professional skill.”
Laney nodded, thoroughly impressed.
In truth, lan was not only considerate but also intimately familiar with her and
Anya’s habits. He took excellent care of them both.
Even Anya had grown fond of him and had become increasingly clingy to him.
With a playful smile, Laney inquired, “What did Natalie pay you? I need to know if I can afford you in the future.”
lan grinned and held up three fingers.
“Thirty grands?” Laney gasped, drawing the attention of nearby shoppers.
Covering her mouth, she eventually regained her composure and whispered to lan, “That’s quite a generous salary.”
lan reassured her gently, “Don’t worry. You’ll be able to afford it once you start working again. I’ll always be here to take care of you and Anya.” His considerate words touched Laney deeply. In Laney’s eyes, lan had cared for her and her child more effectively than any other assistant she’d encountered. Moreover, he maintained appropriate boundaries, which put her at ease. She suddenly recalled the call from Natalie, mentioning someone had forged a divorce agreement and sent it, along with the wedding ring, to Garrett. Initially, she had suspected lan, but now she realized she might have jumped to conclusions.
lan had always maintained the proper his bounds.
He was a man of principle, and she trusted he wouldn’t secretly send such things to Garrett. There were numerous other people who could have wanted her and Garrett to split up. Perhaps it was Kailee, who had long desired to be Garrett’s wife. Or maybe it was Leo and Vera, who had never quite approved of her. Regardless, she felt certain it couldn’t be lan. This realization made Laney feel guilty, and her lingering suspicions about lan faded
Once they had purchased the baby supplies, they proceeded to other sections of the store. Unbeknownst to them, a sneaky figure trailed closely behind.
The man following them was Garrett, who was supposedly in Barnes. Evan, his assistant, was with him. The two peeked behind the shelves, keeping a safe but close enough distance from Laney.
Seeing Laney and lan laughing and chatting made Garrett’s blood boil. “This bastard has some fucking nerve to try and seduce my wife while I’m not around. I’ll kill him!”
He had already unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling up the sleeves and heading straight to Ian.
Evan pulled him back from his blind rage. “Boss, don’t forget the plan. We’re here to keep watch over Mrs. Harding. If you go out now, we’ll be discovered,” the assistant reasoned.
Evan’s persuasion did little to quell Garrett’s fury. Still seething, he gritted his teeth and snapped, “What’s the point of it now? Look at him! He’s doing as he pleases. Anyone who sees them together would naturally assume that he’s Laney’s husband! Even my daughter has almost recognized him as her father. He’s taking my family away from me, and you’re telling me to just keep watching?” The thinly-veiled hurt that bled out of his voice struck Evan, catching him off-guard. For a moment, he was speechless, but he quickly recovered and went straight to trying to convince Garrett again.
“You have to bear it for now. If you mess things up here, you’ll lose a lot more. Boss, you came here to make up with your wife. Letting your anger get the best of you would just jeopardize your chances.” That finally seemed to get through to Garrett. His body relaxed, losing some of its tension.
Evan was right. He had no right to demand anything when it was his own fault things became this way. He had many things to atone for, and he was a long way from getting back Laney’s love. Still, it didn’t change the fact that he was pissed. His wife was here, smiling at another man while he hid like some damned coward.
“What the hell should I do then? I have to do something. I can’t just stand here while that bastard steals her away.”
Garrett felt like a fish out of water. He had never had any problems with women.
If anything, they were the ones who kept flocking to him. He didn’t have to lift a finger to get a woman to succumb to him.
But this was an entirely different thing. He had angered his wife, and nothing he did worked to earn her forgiveness. And now he was forced to watch as some bastard tried to flirt with Laney right in front of him. No man would be able to stay calm in this situation.
Apart from that, something in his gut told him it had been Ian who had sent the divorce agreement and the wedding ring to him. It told Garrett everything he needed to know. That man had impure motives towards Laney.
This realization made him feel all the more restless.
Meanwhile, Evan’s eyes were furrowed in deep thought, trying to come up with a plan.
The loud clap beside him made him jolt. Garrett had slapped his hands together and said, “Evan, go rent a house next to Laney’s. This is not going to be an easy and quick battle by any means, and I’m staying here for as long as it takes to win her back.” Evan’s face fell at his boss’ directive. “Boss, you still have the Harding Group to think of. The company wouldn’t function without you,” he reminded Garrett.
Garrett answered with a glare that radiated menace, “My wife is about to leave me, and you want me to think of the Harding Group? Getting Laney and my daughter back is my top pnority. To hell with anything else.”
As they two talked, Laney and lan were almost done with shopping.