103 This Is Not A Joke
“She wants you to hire Miss Anna Hayden as her assistant again? Why her?” Austin took off his round glasses and offered Liam a confused look.”
Liam shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, not really understanding how that simple sentence could evoke such perplexity in his assistant.
“Yes, why not? Although Amelie no longer works for JFC, once she starts helping me with the Diamond Group, she will need an assistant of her own and she wants someone whom she can trust. It’s only natural that Miss Hayden was her first choice.”
Austin set aside his laptop and leaned on the desk, piercing his boss with his narrowed eyes. “But can we trust Miss Hayden as much as Amelie does? I know she helped us with Miss Blackwood’s case but she has been working for JFC Group far too long to be considered
our ally.”
Liam shrugged again, then took a sip of his iced coffee, and returned to going over something on his computer screen. “It’s fine. If my wife trusts her, then I
11:59
1/6
103 This Is Not A Joko
should trust her too.”
Then, he suddenly looked back at his assistant and arched his eyebrows as if having remembered something important. “By the way… are you still not
able to convince Julia to meet her? It has been a while.”
Austin let out a long sigh and shook his head. “Unfortunately, she is still being stubborn and refuses to come. She says she is not sure it is the right time, given the scandals and all… She doesn’t want to create
more trouble for Amelie.”
Liam tapped his pen on top of the desk for a few moments and then sighed as well.
‘I guess Julia is right; after all, once she reveals herself to the public, everyone will immediately start digging for more information on her and the past she had managed to escape would resurface again. I guess it’s better to give it more time. I’m sure Amelie will be shaken too.‘
Noticing Liam’s distracted state, Austin decided to switch the topic of their conversation to something more relevant and pressing.
“Have you thought about the wedding preparations
11:55
103 This Is Not A Joke
yet? Perhaps it will be a nice distraction for Mrs. Bennett since she has been spending a lot of time alone in the mansion. I can start looking for a wedding planner to help her right away.”
Liam reclined in his chair and brought his hand to his chin, rubbing it lightly as he took a moment to mull
over his assistant’s words.
“I’d like to have a wedding ceremony as soon as possible, however, I’m not sure whether it is such a good idea to have Amelie be in charge of the wedding preparations.”
Austin, too, thought about his boss‘ response and started contemplating out loud,
“Yes, Mr. Bennett, I guess you have a point. If she is in charge of your wedding, every little flaw the public will find in it will be pinned on her and she will be ruthlessly criticized for it. If the wedding is too grand, she will be accused of overspending and you will be called a fool in love. However, if it is too modest,
people will say that she is scared or that you are too stingy. They will definitely say that you couldn’t even bother to try and cover up the rushed wedding decision by hosting a luxurious party. People are very
3.6
103 This Is Not A Joke
hard to please…”
Liam shook his head and sighed again, agreeing with Austin’s opinion.
“Yes, no matter what I do, people will find something to cling to and criticize Amelie for it; they will not pass on the opportunity to point out every little mistake and accuse her of something, however minor it might be.” –
He then looked his assistant straight in the eyes and added,
“Therefore, I think I should be in charge of the wedding planning instead. I want people to know that it was me who wanted to flaunt my relationship with her and if they have a problem with it, then it’s on me. Amelie doesn’t want me to be harsh with people but if it’s something that concerns me directly, then I will have the right to confront anyone on her behalf.”
Austin offered the man a rather uncomfortable smile. He knew that Liam could be very scary if he wanted to, but sometimes, this trait of his would stand in the way
of reason.
“Mr. Bennett, don’t you think that “flaunting” is taking
103 This Is Not A Joke
it a little bit too far? I know you want Mrs. Amelie Bennett to have only the best things and experiences, but all things considered, you might want to hold back on anything too extravagant.”
Liam grinned and crossed his arms in front of his
chest, looking back at his assistant with eyes filled with a strange and somewhat excited glow which made the latter feel even more uncomfortable.
“I have enough money to flaunt but people are still not aware of that, so… I think it’s time the world found out who the Bennetts of the Diamond Group really are.”
Austin’s eyes flickered with anticipation but his voice was still careful as he said, “Don’t tell me… You are finally going to do it?”
Liam nodded in confirmation. “The financial reports along with all the necessary official paperwork are already on their way to the Board of Commerce and the Institute of Finance for the emergency evaluation. I reckon that by tomorrow afternoon, the media will be aware of it too. And after that… Well, people will be too scared to accuse me of spending lavishly.”
“I cannot believe this…” Austin pressed a paper folder
576
103 This Is Not A Joke
close to his chest, his lips curling into an overly dramatic smile. “Please tell me you’re not joking, Mr. Bennett! I will resign immediately if you are joking right now.”
Liam couldn’t help but laugh, offering the man an
affirmative nod.
“This is not a joke, Austin. I am proclaiming myself as this country’s first and only smart technology tycoon. From now on, I am the richest person in this country.”