Chapter 3 I Can Help You

In Royal Hotel.

Garry picked up food for Elena with a smile on his face. He was clearly enjoying doing this.

"Elena, try this. I assure you that the dishes here are very delicious," he said in his gentle voice.

Elena, however, was absent-minded with thoughts of Lyndon. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep him out of her mind.

"What's wrong, Elena? Are you still thinking about the company?" Garry asked with concern. He could see that Elena wasn't with him and the reason was obvious to him.

"Why don't we have lunch first, okay? I already said I was going to help you out with the company problems," Garry said gently when Elena didn't say anything.

"Thank you," Elena murmured hesitantly.

Her family had devoted a lot to the company, and Elena had simply done too much to be where she was presently.

It was a family company and although Elena was still the president, many people wanted this position for themselves. The moment the company stopped doing well, her position would no longer be safe and she had to prevent that from happening.

"Of course. It's no trouble. Enjoy your food now, please."

Garry smiled at her and kept picking up food for her like the perfect gentleman.

He had been trying to court Elena for a long time, but it was the first time that she had given him the chance to have lunch with her. Naturally, this put Garry in a good mood. He felt like he was getting closer to his objective.

When their lunch was over, Garry led Elena out of the hotel. He opened the passenger door of his Cayenne that was parked on the roadside like a gentleman.

"Come on, get in. Let me drive you home," Garry said with a smile, wanting the date to end on a good note.

Elena said with a soft smile, "No, thanks, it's fine. I can find my way home."

Elena's refusal put a damp on Garry's mood, but he wasn't surprised. He knew Elena well, so he kept his disappointment to himself and nodded with a smile.

"Alright then. Tell your mom that I will be visiting her in two days after I help you solve the problems of your company."

Garry walked around to the driver's side and settled in his seat. He glanced at Elena one last time and waved before driving off.

Watching his car fade away in the distance, Elena took a deep breath.

She then got into her Ford car and headed home quickly.

Elena pulled up in front of the villa of the Collins family.

Clara quickly stood up and smiled sweetly when she saw Elena walk in with a tired look on her face.

"Why did you come back so late? Have you had lunch at least?" Clara asked with concern. The whole family really cared about Elena. As the president of the group, Elena was the reason they were able to move into the villa.

"Yes, mom, I've eaten," Elena answered with a forced smile.

She turned to walk into her room when her mom stopped her.

"By the way, where is that loser? I asked him to go and pick you up," Clara asked rudely, with a frown on her face.

"Mom, you do know he has a name, right?" Elena sighed and added, "Lyndon did come to get me, but then Garry came by for us to go out, so I asked Lyndon to head back."

Clara's eyes lit up.

Garry was one of the famous trust fund babies in Antpelle and Clara knew that he had been pursuing Elena for some time now.

More importantly, Garry's family's influence and wealth was much better than that of their own family.

If Elena married Garry, the Collins family would be more powerful and rich. Clara couldn't wait to see this happen.

To her, Lyndon was just a loser. He had lived off her family for nine years. If Elena hadn't stopped her, Clara would have driven Lyndon out a long time ago.

Clara would be damned before she let Elena marry Lyndon. Although she had promised, she would never let her daughter live with this loser for the rest of her life.

"That's good news. It will actually do some good for both you and the company to have more contact with Garry,"

Clara paused and came closer to her daughter. "Why don't you invite Garry home for dinner when you are free? It's been so long since I saw him."

Elena frowned at this, but didn't have the chance to answer as Lyndon pushed the door and came in.

"What's wrong with you? What kept you out for so long when you know you have dishes waiting for you?"

Clara scolded Lyndon as she glared at him. Her expression was totally different from the one she had on seconds ago.

"Why are you still standing there? Go and wash those dishes!" she exclaimed in disbelief when he didn't move.

A straight face on, Lyndon walked into the kitchen without uttering a single word. It was not like he could actually say anything. In the past nine years, cooking, washing and cleaning had become a part of his life.

"Oh, Elena, before you go in, I heard that the company has encountered some difficulties. What's that about? Have you solved it already?"

Without a care in the world, Adrien walked past them from the second floor with a cup of tea in his hand. It was like his daily routine, reading a newspaper with a cup of tea in his hand after a meal.

"Some old clients suddenly suspended their contract extensions, but don't worry about it. Garry said he would help me out," Elena answered, looking at Adrien who was sitting on the sofa, clearly unbothered.

"See? Garry is such a good boy. He cares about you so much," Clara said happily as though she had been expecting it. Then with a roll of her eyes, she looked towards the kitchen with disdain and deliberately raised her voice as she said, "Unlike the loser who has nothing to do all day long and can't come in handy at critical moments."

"Mom, that's enough already. He has a name!" Elena said, frowning.

She didn't love Lyndon, but he had always been there for her. He had never stopped protecting her from bullies when she was a child and from any other menace.

She would never forget all he did for her. It was rather unfortunate that his parents went bankrupt, forcing Lyndon to live with her family for nine years.

"Elena!" her mother exclaimed. "I can't believe you're talking back at me for this loser!

I can see that my voice no longer matters in this family. You even get angry when I ask him to do anything. Why?

Just be honest! Have you fallen in love with this loser?"

Clara was angry and she believed that her anger was justified as her gaze shot daggers at Lyndon in the kitchen.

"I just believe everyone needs to be treated with respect. He may be a servant to you, but you have no right to call him a loser!"

Elena spat and went into her room before she could lose her cool.

Left standing alone, Clara began throwing tantrums angrily like she usually did.

"Adrien, did you see that? Your daughter talked back to me for that loser! Can you believe that?

That loser has been living in our house for nine years doing nothing useful. Don't I have the right to scold him? Huh? If it weren't for his parents, I would have kicked him out a long time ago!"

Lyndon wasn't deaf. He could hear everything Clara was saying, but decided to ignore it. When he was done cleaning up, he went straight into Elena's room.

Elena was sitting on the edge of the bed when Lyndon came in. She was a little tired, but when she saw him, her face turned a little cold.

"What are you doing here?" To be honest, she had never taken her engagement to Lyndon seriously.

"You don't have to thank me, if that's why you're here. After all, it's not like I helped. The more I tried defending you, the more she scolded you."

When Lyndon didn't say anything, Elena looked up and smiled in self-mockery.

"I can help you solve the company's problems," Lyndon said in a low voice. Elena's mouth dropped for a second in surprise. However, her surprise quickly turned into mockery.

"How?" she asked incredulously. "What can you possibly do for me?"

"For as long as you need me, I can try my best to help you solve any problem that needs solving," Lyndon said seriously.

He had experienced a lot and seen through something in the past nine years. If there was one person he really cared about, that person was Elena, the woman in front of him.

"I don't need your comfort or pity, Lyndon. I can handle it myself," Elena said coldly.

She had never said it out loud, but she was disappointed in Lyndon. Throughout the years, she had expected him to become someone, to make something of himself. But here he was, having achieved nothing till date.

Now, he was trying to talk big and say he could help her when he couldn't. She scoffed inwardly as this thought crossed her mind.

"Well, I'm a little tired now, Lyndon. Can you let me rest, please?" Elena said coldly with her eyes slowly drooping.

Lyndon nodded and then walked out.