Supreme Mars novel Chapter 18

The slap had caught Caroline off guard.

"Dad, how could you hit me?" Tears stung her eyes. "D- Dad… How could you? How could you hit me?"

She could not believe that her father, who had never laid a finger on her ever since she was a child, would slap her out of the blue like this.

"Are you crazy?" Rebecca yelled. "She's your daughter!" She grabbed William's arm, but William quickly broke free.

"You've been spoiling her all these years," William said. "That's why she has such a foul temper! Look. I don't care what you do. Beg. Plead. Whatever. Just bring Leo back. Just remember that it's all thanks to him that we even have something to celebrate today!"

With that, he stormed out of the venue in anger.

Caroline and Rebecca shared a look with each other, their faces grim.

"I basically told Leo to fuck off," Caroline thought. "What the hell am I supposed to say to get him to come back?"

"Forget it, Mom! I'm not doing it!" Caroline snarled, pressing her palm on her swollen cheek.

Knowing what was at stake, Rebecca took her daughter's hand and shot her a pleading look. "I don't like it either, but we have no choice, Caroline. That lowlife really did help us win us the bid. That much can't be in doubt. I never expected him to be this lucky, though."

"Antagonizing him won't do us any good. Your father has always had a weak spot as far as Leo is concerned. Look, right now we need to obey your father's wishes and bring Leo home. We'll get him next time he makes a mistake, okay? We'll nail him eventually, believe me."

Caroline was convinced. "Alright then," she said begrudgingly.

They walked out of the International Commerce Center to find Leo, but he had already left.

Caroline dialed Leo's number but the call went straight to voice mail: "The number you dialed is not available. Please leave a message after the tone..."

Caroline stomped her feet angrily. "Ugh, I hate this man..."

Meanwhile, a black Rolls-Royce was driving smoothly on the road amongst the traffic, while the other cars made way for it.

Leo was sitting in the back seat with his eyes closed. Nadine reported respectfully while driving, "Mr. Cohen, Martin Bailey has confessed to everything, including the sale of commercial secrets belonging to Vesper Corporation to other parties."

"However, due to lack of evidence, the Lawson family couldn't be implicated."

"I see," Leo responded lightly. He wasn't expecting to bring down Kate with Martin in the first place.

After a moment of though, he asked, "How's the wedding going?"

Nadine replied, "As per your instructions, we've anonymously informed all the prestigious upper-class families in Emerdale. Everything is ready, except for the wedding ring. There will be an auction in Riverside Club of The Lawson family at 6 p.m. tonight. One of the items is the largest and most expensive diamond ring in the Sallton, Winham, and New Queensland areas."

Leo's eyes sparkled and he said, "Take me to the Riverside Club." As night fell, the Riverside Club's lights shone like beacons in the dusk.

A black Rolls-Royce pulled into the parking lot quietly.

The parking lot was packed with all kinds of luxury cars, most of which were worth millions of dollars. Nevertheless, they paled in comparison to Leo's car.

One could tell at a glance that the Rolls-Royce was a custom-built. Only the most elite of individuals could have this done.

The door opened, and a tall, commanding young man in a suit walked out. It was none other than Leo.

Nadine had changed into a black, strapless evening gown. The dress made her look decidedly more feminine and slightly less threatening.

"You look beautiful in that outfit," Leo said with a soft smile.

Nadine's face blushed right away while she cast a subtle and loving glance at him. She sent him a loving glance, though she'd done so furtively.

"Miss Moore, you're here." A middle-aged man trotted over and greeted with a smile. "I've been waiting for you."

"Mm," Nadine responded with her usual coolness.

The man was about to say something, but he suddenly saw Leo who was standing beside Nadine. He asked in shock, "You must be the man in charge, right?"

"Who are you?" Leo did not know him.

The man smiled. "I'm Alan Russell, but you can just call me Alan. I'm the middleman who bought the International Commerce Center on your behalf. It's just a small token to show my respect."

Fortunately, there was no one else present to hear him say this; if people overheard that the richest man in Emerdale was bowing and scraping to a relative unknown arrival in the city, it would definitely make the headlines.

Leo nodded. "What's your background?"

"I'm a member of the Kingston Chamber of Commerce," Alan said modestly.

"Kingston Chamber of Commerce?" Leo pondered for a while and then recalled that it was an association established by Commerce Maestro, one of the Seven Maestros of Winbury.

The Seven Maestros of Winbury were all leaders in their respective fields. They were nicknamed the maestros due to their prodigious skills in the business world. What nobody knew was that all of them had received help from one man at different points; Leo Cohen.