Paul was accustomed to such scenes and didn’t bother to look at the woman again. “Mr. Bowles, you flatter me too much.”
Josh, who was sitting nearby, could no longer sit still. “Dad…”
“What, are you interested?” Dylan’s tone changed, turning to Josh.
Josh glanced at Flora, his face burning with anger, and his tone became firm. “Mr. Bowles, please don’t go too far!”
Paul, hearing this, quickly tapped his son’s leg, signaling him to be quiet, then offered a series of apologies. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bowles. The kid is young and speaks without thinking.”
“Dad.” Josh looked discontentedly at Dylan. Paul seemed to have missed the fact that Dylan was just as young as Josh.
“What’s wrong with you today? Have you forgotten why we’re here?” Paul whispered angrily. After glaring at his unusually rebellious son, he continued his conversation with Dylan.
Flora lifted her eyes and shook her head at Josh.
If Josh persisted, things might get out of control.
This seemingly indifferent action, however, was caught by Dylan.
Josh picked up the glass on the table and took a big gulp, his handsome face turning red.
“Mr. Bowles, what about the cooperation?” Paul got to the point, feeling an indescribable fear towards the young man.
“According to you, we split the profits fifty-fifty?” Dylan narrowed his eyes, looking at him sidelong.
“Yes, as long as Mr. Bowles allows our products to carry your La Comte brand tag, we’re willing to give up half of the profits.”
“Twenty-eighty split. You get twenty, I get eighty,” Dylan’s cold words gave people the illusion of a domineering ruler.
“Twenty-eighty? Dad, we absolutely can’t agree to that!” Josh hurriedly intervened. Not only would La Comte not have to invest a single cent, but they would also have to give up eighty percent of the profits. It was practically robbery.
Dylan didn’t seem to care, his eyes constantly fixed on Flora on the ground.
Paul lowered his head in silence. As shrewd as he was, he was unwilling to engage in a loss-making deal. However, just having the La Comte brand could bring in a lot of unexpected profits in the future.
After careful consideration, he finally agreed. “Alright, Mr. Bowles, a deal is a deal!”
Paul gritted his teeth, picked up the glass on the table, and drained it.
Even Flora, who knew nothing about business, could tell that this deal was clearly not a good one.
Dylan saw Flora’s eyebrows furrow slightly, and the smile on his lips deepened.
He leaned down and suddenly tightened his grip on her delicate wrist.
Flora was already half-kneeling, her legs numb and weak. With this force, she was pulled irresistibly forward and fell securely into Dylan’s arms.
Dylan’s hand rested on her waist, while the other hand was placed on her fair thigh. The position was indescribably ambiguous.
“Mr. Bowles…” Flora muttered as she struggled.
“What are you afraid of? You’ve come this far to be an escort, so quit pretending now!” Dylan’s hand on her leg gently pinched, his fingers cool and comfortable as they slid along the edge of her ultra-short skirt, driving upward.
“You!” Flora twisted her body uneasily, trying to grab his hand with both of hers, realizing that he had been deliberate from the start.
Seeing this, Paul hurriedly gestured for Josh to stand up. After being shoved, Josh snapped back to reality and stood up abruptly.
“Let Flora go!” Josh stepped forward and stood in front of them.
“Joe, stop making nonsense!” Paul grabbed his son’s sleeve, not wanting him to anger his cash cow.
Flora lowered her head in embarrassment, her hands forgetting to resist as the man’s hand sneaked under her skirt.
“Dad, she’s Flora, don’t you remember?” Josh’s voice was low but resolute, “She is…”
“Josh, don’t say it!” Flora interrupted him, closing her eyes tightly.
Paul glanced at them and finally looked at Flora. He tried hard to remember, having a vague impression, “It seems… I’ve seen her before.”
“Yes.” Josh seemed overjoyed, “It’s Flora.”
“Hmph, I should’ve seen that she’d end up like this. A seemingly pure and innocent girl before, now an escort at Desire?” Paul sneered.
At this moment, Flora tasted the bitter flavor of despair and humiliation. If she and Justin had continued their relationship, she would have had to call Paul “Uncle.”
Josh clearly hadn’t expected this outcome, and even hoped that Paul could extend a hand to pull Flora out of this place that was incompatible with her.
Dylan nestled his entire body back into the couch, his eyes cold but his smile burning hot like flames in hell..
“Dad…” Seeing the stalemate, Josh simply strode forward and pulled Flora off of Dylan, “I had crush on her.”
“You…” Paul looked at Flora carefully, his face still filled with contempt, “What did you say?”
“Dad, I’ve had crush for her for a long time,” Josh tightened his grip on Flora’s hand, but at the same time, pushed her in front of Dylan and Paul.
Then she said, “From now on, she will no longer be an escort here.”
This was such a farce.
Flora looked up at Josh’s side profile, unable to tell if he was trying to help her out of the situation or…
Subconsciously, she wanted to break free from his grip.
This situation made her feel humiliated, and she never expected Josh to suddenly make such a bold confession.
“I’ll never agree to this!” Paul looked at Dylan next to him with an ugly expression, extremely embarrassed.
“Dad—”
“Enough… Mr. Bowles, I apologize for the scene,” Paul cut off his words and turned his attentive gaze back to Josh, “If you want no further discussions, we will take our leave now.”
Dylan nodded, the smile on his face indicating that he seemed quite satisfied with everything Paul had done.
“Flora, let’s go.” Josh took Flora’s hand and followed behind Paul.
“Josh,” Flora looked at Dylan, “He hasn’t left yet, so I can’t leave either. We have rules here.”
“No.” Josh stubbornly held onto Flora’s hand, squeezing it, “You must come with me.”
“Didn’t you hear her say she can’t leave? She belongs here and must follow the rules. Go back,” Paul angrily grabbed Josh and pulled him away. It would be a joke for his son to get involved with a girl of questionable reputation.
Belonging here? This clearly defined boundary separated her from those with a higher status.
Josh reluctantly let go of Flora’s hand, filled with helplessness as he was forcibly dragged away.
“Is this how you at Desire treat your clients?” Dylan’s voice carried a hint of impatience, pulling Flora’s attention back to him.
She turned to face the man on the couch, moved to the coffee table, and asked, “Would you like more drinks?”
Dylan shook his head without a word.
Flora picked up a tray and placed the wine glass on it, asking, “Then, would you like to request a song?”
Dylan shook his head again, “No, I just want to sit here.”
Flora resisted the urge to smash the wine bottle on his head.
She had wanted to leave early, but now it was impossible. Moreover, her legs were numb from bending, and she would have appreciated even a short walk outside.
“Do you feel like crying?” Dylan leaned forward, his cold face close to Flora’s, “Tsk, tsk, I almost spoke up to help you just now.”
Flora doubted that, yet she said nothing in response.
A few seconds later, she straightened her hair, her eyes calm and collected, as she looked directly at Dylan and said word by word, “I don’t cry to those I don’t give a damn about.”
