Chapter 9

After the meeting ended, Clement felt refreshed, energized, and very pleased with himself.

He'd been a bit awkward at the start, but as he got the hang of it, everything came more easily to him. Over the course of the meeting, he was able to not only present himself clearly but also effortlessly and with an air of confidence.

By the time the meeting wrapped up, Clement had fully embraced his role as the boss. He had officially become a competent general manager!

"Mr. Lakeworth."

Renee, who was standing beside Clement, had a spark in her eyes as she stared at him in astonishment. She'd been his secretary for three years now, but somehow, he seemed way more dashing today.

Setting down the documents he was holding, Clement waved to the room, signaling the end of the meeting. Then, he turned to Renee with a smile and asked, "What is it?"

"I-It's nothing," Renee said.

She chewed her lip lightly and lowered her flushed face. Just a moment ago, when their eyes met, she'd felt her heart skip. It was a feeling she'd never experienced before.

"Come. Let's grab lunch."

Clement had instantly picked up on Renee's attraction toward him, but he didn't plan on starting anything with Renee for the time being.

First of all, the threat of Ethan, the Chosen One, continued to loom over him like an ax waiting to fall at any time. That kept him on edge at all times. Under these circumstances, he wasn't in the mood to get romantically involved with anyone.

And secondly, Renee was his secretary. Michael's warning not only worked on the old Clement but on him as well.

"Okay. Let's go, Mr. Lakeworth." Renee rose gracefully, her eyes shining as she gestured for Clement to lead the way.

"Hey, Clem!"

As soon as Clement left the office, a young man decked out in a flashy high-end suit, a gold Rolex, and black patent leather shoes greeted him with a wave. He bore some physical resemblance to Clement.

It was his cousin, Mason Lakeworth—the son of his uncle, Kenneth Lakeworth.

"Mason," Clement greeted with a smile.

He and Mason had a pretty decent relationship. After all, a key trait of villains was their unity!

In stories like these, whenever the Chosen One went up against a villain, it would never stop at just one person. The villain's siblings, parents, and extended family would all get involved. Eventually, the head of the family himself would step in.

Like all the other stereotypical villains, the Lakeworths were also united on the inside. As cousins, Clement and Mason got along quite well, too.

"Clem, I heard a punk provoked you a few days ago," Mason remarked with a sneer. "If it's hard for you to handle things with Uncle Michael keeping an eye on you, you can leave it to me. I'll arrange for a few people to deal with that guy!"

"God, no! Don't do that."

Clement was alarmed by what Mason just said. He knew that damn author was trying to ensnare him again. If Mason sent some men to kill Ethan, it would only result in giving Ethan an easy win. Mason might even get into trouble in the process.

After having put in much effort to change the plot, Clement wasn't dumb enough to let Mason do anything to Ethan.

"It's nothing. I can easily deal with Ethan myself. You don't need to get involved," Clement declared with feigned nonchalance, acting like he didn't care at all.

He knew that if he seemed grim or affected by Ethan in any way, Mason might secretly investigate and go after Ethan to help him out, but that would only lead to disaster, despite his good intentions.

"I see. Well, if you need me, feel free to call me up anytime," Mason declared. "By the way, my girlfriend is having her birthday party this Sunday. You have to come."

"Your girlfriend's birthday party?" Clement repeated in surprise. "Didn't she just have one last month?"

"Oh, it was my ex-girlfriend's birthday party last month. I broke up with her ages ago," Mason explained with a laugh. "It's my current girlfriend's birthday party this Sunday."

"I'll be there."

Clement felt rather envious. Mason had a new girlfriend almost every month, changing girlfriends like nobody's business. His dating history could rival that of the most infamous playboys in Clement's previous life.

"You're still single now, aren't you, Clem?" Mason shot Clement a wink. "My girlfriend's got a pretty nice friend. Shall I make the introductions?"

"No, thanks." Clement waved off that idea.

He wasn't in the mood to strike up any sort of romantic relationship with other women. He was focusing all of his attention on pursuing the female leads. Not only would he be farming villain points, but he'd be fulfilling his other needs, too!

Moreover, considering the plot, the female leads were undoubtedly the most gorgeous women around.

"Is it because you're planning on taking your relationship with Renee to the next level, Clem?"

Turning red, Renee lowered her head.

"Cut that out," Clement said as he punched Mason playfully. "Have you had lunch? Want to get some food together?"

"I'll take a rain check. I wouldn't want to interrupt your romantic lunch with Renee," Mason teased before slipping off. "Remember to use protection, Clem!"

"Off with you!" Clement snapped in exasperation.

He was an innocent young man—and a virgin, no less! But of course, he was referring to his past self back in the other world.

…

Meanwhile, in the chairman's office at Celestia Pharmaceuticals, Elise was speaking to her father, Stephen Hanover. She filled him in on the incident between Clement and Ethan.

"So that's what happened, Dad. It is indeed rather surprising that Clement chose to call the police. I looked into him. He's just your typical wealthy playboy. Whenever he encountered similar situations in the past, he'd used his bodyguards and the local thugs to bully the other."

Frowning, she added, "Still, Ethan went a little overboard as well. He shouldn't have been so violent."

As it was, Elise hadn't been keen on having Ethan as her bodyguard at first. It was Stephen who insisted on it.

"Ethan is a righteous man. He did the right thing," Stephen declared with an approving smile. "Discuss this matter with Clement this afternoon. We can make some reasonable concessions in exchange for him agreeing to drop the case and settle out of court.

"But even if he doesn't agree to that, I have ways to get the police to release Ethan."

"Dad, are you seriously willing to offend the Lakeworths just for Ethan's sake?" Elise asked as she looked at Stephen in confusion. "Is it worth it?"

"Of course. It's absolutely worth it," Stephen replied with a firm nod. "I told you long ago that Ethan has far more potential than you can possibly imagine. Don't take him for an ordinary man."

After pouring her a cup of coffee, he continued, "Take my advice, Elise. You can consider spending more time with Ethan and getting to know him better. If things work out between you two, I'll be able to rest easy leaving you in his car."

"What are you talking about, Dad?" Elise refuted with a frown. "I don't have any romantic interest in Ethan, and I don't plan on dating anyone right now. I'm leaving."

"This is for your own good, Elise," Stephen murmured with a smile as he watched her leave. "You'd be extremely lucky if you got to marry Ethan. It'd be a blessing for our family, too. Trust me. Given time, Ethan will achieve unparalleled greatness!"