My Manor

"Then I'm leaving. Remember to call me... if you have time." After stepping out of the car, Selena Gomez glanced at Jiang Hai, who had also exited and was now standing in front of the car, watching her. She hesitated before speaking.

After all, following the events of last night, their relationship was no longer as distant as it had been at the start.

Moreover, during the drive here, they had exchanged a few words, which made things feel less unfamiliar.

"Of course." Upon hearing Selena's words, Jiang Hai nodded immediately. He certainly wouldn't turn down the offer.

"Then I'm leaving." Selena was confident she had exchanged phone numbers with Jiang Hai earlier. After hearing his prompt response, she couldn't help but smile, her face lighting up. Shaking her head, she walked toward her studio. As she disappeared from view, Jiang Hai, who was leaning against the car, couldn't help but smirk. He wasn't sure where things would go from here, so he decided to take things one step at a time.

Stretching his arms, Jiang Hai returned to the driver's seat and drove off.

However, what he didn't notice was that, at that moment, two pairs of eyes were observing him: one pair from the first floor, where Selena had just entered, and another from the second floor.

On the second floor stood a man named Anton Slavsky—though few outside the music industry would recognize the name, his stage name was ZEDD, a famous American music producer and DJ. He was currently working with Selena Gomez.

Meanwhile, Selena, who was downstairs, was watching Jiang Hai leave. She didn't quite know how to feel. She knew Jiang Hai wasn't exactly someone she should pursue, but women often feel a certain connection to those they've been intimate with, and this was exactly what Selena was grappling with in that moment.

Just then, her phone, which had been muted the previous day, vibrated. Glancing at the name on the screen, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately answered. Listening to the gentle, caring voice on the other end, Selena's expression remained neutral.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I misunderstood anything. We shouldn't meet again because I already have someone I like." She spoke firmly, wanting to make it clear to the person on the other end that she didn't want a repeat of last night's events.

After saying this, she ended the call and immediately blocked the number. She wasn't sure if the caller would retaliate, but as she thought of Jiang Hai, the sense of crisis that had initially surfaced gradually faded. She knew she could rely on him if things got worse.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hai was oblivious to all this. After leaving the studio, he was headed back to his hotel to rest. He felt that there wasn't much fun to be had here. While last night had been intriguing, he didn't want to return to that particular place after what had happened. Sometimes, too much excitement wasn't the best choice. Recently, he'd been feeling his physical needs intensifying, and that worried him. There's only so much one can handle—he was still human, after all. Even with enhanced physical fitness, dragging two or three people around like this would only wear him out sooner or later. He decided to be cautious.

As he drove through Manhattan, a city notorious for its traffic jams, Jiang Hai's car got stuck again. Bored, he began to think about what Selena had said—about calling her. It occurred to him that he hadn't used his phone in a while.

"Hey? Where's my phone?" he muttered as he patted his pocket, realizing it was missing. Looking around, he spotted his coat, nearly crammed under the back seat. His phone was inside it.

Relieved, he pulled out his coat and found his phone—only to discover that the battery had died. Although Jiang Hai was wealthy and didn't care much for phones, he still used an older model, the iPhone 6 Plus, which was practically worthless in the U.S. But in China, it could still fetch around 3,000 yuan. The phone itself didn't matter much to him, but the apps on it were another story. He'd paid for every game on the phone, as piracy wasn't tolerated in the U.S.

The phone had been dead for a while, but with the charger plugged in, it powered up quickly. As soon as it turned on, a flood of messages appeared, including more than 30 missed calls. Apparently, the last bit of battery had been used up by those calls.

One call was from Moses Adams, another from Darlene, and the rest were from the same number—Pra Walton. Seeing these names, Jiang Hai slapped his forehead in realization. He remembered that Selena Gomez had been with Pra Walton the previous night.

It seemed that Pra Walton had been waiting anxiously, which made Jiang Hai feel a little awkward. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to call Darlene first. She didn't have anything urgent to discuss—she was just checking in to see how he was doing. Jiang Hai avoided mentioning where he'd been last night, brushing it off with a laugh.

Next, he called Moses Adams and learned that the contract with the town had been finalized. Once Jiang Hai returned to sign and withdraw the funds, construction would begin. The terms were nearly the same as last time, which made Jiang Hai raise his fist in excitement.

After setting a meeting with Moses for tomorrow, Jiang Hai finally called Pra Walton.

The phone rang once before she picked up.

"You finally showed up, Jiang Hai. I thought you were going to hide forever." Pra Walton's cold tone immediately threw Jiang Hai off guard. What did she mean by "hide forever"?

"Uh, my phone ran out of battery last night, and I just recharged it. I saw you called a lot. Was there an issue with the beef?" Jiang Hai asked, genuinely curious.

"There's no problem with the beef, but there seems to be an issue between us. Where were you last night?" Pra Walton's voice carried a sense of tension.

"Last night? Didn't you see me there? Just tell me what you want to say," Jiang Hai replied, his patience running thin. While they were business partners, their relationship wasn't particularly close. Pra Walton had always been domineering, something Jiang Hai didn't appreciate.

"Where did you take Selena?" Pra Walton's voice suddenly became loud with frustration.

"You're asking me? You were with Selena. How could you let her be drugged?" Jiang Hai shot back, surprised at her accusatory tone, though he quickly regained his composure.

"That's because... hush. We can't explain this over the phone. Let's meet." Pra Walton took a deep breath, knowing she couldn't easily fall out with Jiang Hai, especially since he now held a significant stake in the upper class. Despite their rocky situation, she couldn't let this conflict escalate.

The truth was, she was furious. The person who had called Selena earlier was her. And what Selena had said? She assumed the person Selena was referring to as someone she liked was Jiang Hai, though she wasn't sure if that was true. But she didn't care for details right now. She just wanted to meet with Jiang Hai and sever his connection with Selena.

Sometimes, women could be driven to madness by love. Had Pra Walton not been a seasoned businesswoman, she might have terminated the beef sales contract with Jiang Hai. But now, she knew her position was precarious—she couldn't admit to drugging Selena.

"Okay, where do you want to meet?" Jiang Hai agreed, though he had no idea why she wanted to see him. Her hostility puzzled him, and he was curious about her sudden interest. More importantly, how had Selena been drugged while Pra Walton had been with her? Jiang Hai couldn't quite figure it out.

"Come to my place in Atlantic City," Pra Walton replied.