Chapter 312 Leroy Bennett
Rachel had lied to Justin back then. Jolly never suffered from depression, nor did she try to cut her wrists for any man. She never told anyone how she got pregnant with Samuel, but when Rachel met her in a foreign country, she had several meals every single day, and she seemed to be in a truly jolly mood.
Then, she aggressively persuaded Rachel to be Samuel’s mother on paper by offering to help her obtain permanent residency in Montenegro.
At that time, Jolly wasn’t ready to be a mother while Rachel had just left Charlotte. Rather than Charlotte needing Rachel, it was the other way round.
The reason Rachel lied to Justin was because she wanted to arouse his sympathy to help her fend off the scoundrel named Ryan.
The next morning, a meeting took place in Hudson Pharmaceuticals.
“The sports drink developed by our R&D Department has been tested and confirmed to be safe. Now, we have to talk about endorsement. Our colleagues from the Advertising Department have selected three potential spokespeople. Please have a look, President Hudson.”
“There’s no need for that.” Rachel waved her hand. “I know nothing about celebrities. Tell the Advertising Department and Marketing Department to have a joint discussion and show me the final proposal.”
Upon hearing that, the director from the Advertising Department immediately picked out one of the proposals. “President Hudson, we’ve had some discussions before, and we all agree that this person is the most suitable candidate.”
“Do all of you share the same sentiment?” Rachel took the proposal and went straight to the endorsement part. Within seconds, the introduction to the potential spokesperson came into her sight. However, what attracted her were the photos attached.
There were photos of the spokesperson swimming half-naked, riding a bicycle in a white shirt, and skateboarding in a t-shirt. Just by looking at his photos, one could feel how young and energetic he was.
“Leroy Bennett?” Rachel uttered his name.
The director from the Advertising Department said, “Yes, he’s the hottest celebrity in recent years. Ever since he debuted in a reality show three years ago, he has remained popular until this day.”
However, Rachel frowned. “Such a young celebrity has a very specific target audience, though. Once his fans lose interest in him, they’ll stop buying the things that he endorses. That’s a risk we’ll have to bear.”
“We have taken that into consideration as well, but the most important thing for us to do now is to popularize this sports drink. Since there’s no problem with the quality, it’ll become reputable in no time.”
“You’re right. In that case, just go ahead with him.”
“Okay.”
Before Rachel closed the document, she couldn’t help but take one more glance at the photos.
In fact, he wasn’t a typical handsome male celebrity. His facial features were pretty angular, and his eyes were piercing. However, his face was still slightly chubby due to his young age, so he looked rather harmless.
Furthermore, his athletic appearance perfectly matched the sports drink they were going to promote.
“I’ll handle this endorsement project.”
Jolly’s voice was suddenly heard in the meeting room as all of them shifted their attention to her.
Jolly was always by Rachel’s side since she was the latter’s assistant. Supposedly, she didn’t have a right to say anything during office meetings. Nevertheless, all of them knew that she was a young lady from Carter Enterprise, so no one dared to refute her.
“You?”
“Yes, I’ll do it. Our colleagues from the Advertising Department are swamped with work, and I have some free time anyway. It just so happens that I have some connections in showbiz, and I have some experience negotiating with celebrity agents as well. I’ll help you handle this.”
While Rachel was doubtful, the director from the Advertising Department uttered, “President Hudson, I’ll work with Miss Carter and deal with this endorsement task.”
Left with no choice, Rachel could only agree to it first. “Alright, let’s end the meeting here. All of you have done a great job.”
After the meeting in the morning, Jolly and Rachel returned to the office together. As soon as the door was closed, Rachel questioned, “What’s wrong with you?”
“What do you mean?” Pretending not to understand her, Jolly started watering the plants.
“You’re killing the plants.” Rachel rolled her eyes at her. “Are you going to harass the male celebrity by using the endorsement deal as an excuse?”
Evidently, she was fully aware of Jolly’s temperament. The woman was someone who would go crazy over handsome men.
“I swear that it’s not the case. Even though I love handsome men, I’ll never harass them. I have a friend who loves Leroy, so I’m going to get her a signed autograph.”
“A friend? Who is it?”
“You don’t know her.”
“I don’t think you have any friends that I’m not aware of. Don’t tell me she’s an acquaintance—she’s probably not important enough to make you get a signed autograph from a celebrity.”
A guilty Jolly hesitated for a long time. Upon realizing that the secret couldn’t be kept hidden, she said honestly, “It’s Estelle Dolton.”
“Estelle Dolton?” Rachel appeared to be in disbelief. “Didn’t you stop contacting her five years ago?”
“Calm down. I can explain.”
“Go on then.” Rachel suppressed her anger and took a seat. “I’d like to know how you’re going to explain the rationale behind getting a signed autograph for a woman who snatched your fiancé five years ago.”
“Leroy is Estelle’s ex-boyfriend.”
Upon hearing that, Rachel was startled. I guess I have to get this matter sorted out. “Is Estelle, the one you’re talking about, the person who got married to Ryan?”
“Yes.” Jolly dipped her head. “She was also my roommate in university and my best friend. You’ve heard me right; it’s her.”
Rachel could hear a hint of resentment in her voice.
“I just want to find out why Estelle dumped Leroy and got married to Ryan.”
“You don’t believe she’s after money?”
“I don’t know.”
“Alright.” Rachel stopped asking further. “Go ahead, but make sure that your emotions won’t affect your work.”
She decided to stop asking because they had been as close as real sisters over the years, so she understood Jolly as much as she understood herself. Jolly would never get over the incident if the knot in her heart wasn’t untied.
Meanwhile, a moved Jolly wrapped her arms around Rachel’s shoulders. “Thanks. You’re the most amazing friend in the world.”
“Get off me! I’m going to puke.”
“I’ll never let you go.”
While they were messing with each other, Rachel’s phone that was placed on the table started ringing.
As soon as she saw the name on the phone’s screen, Rachel narrowed her eyes and motioned for Jolly to keep quiet. A moment later, she picked up the call.
“Mr. Burton.”
A mature voice was heard speaking on the other end of the line. “How are you, Miss Hudson? I heard that you’ve been in trouble recently.”
“I’m amazed at your ability to gather information, Mr. Burton. However, I’ve never been short of trouble, so I’m not sure which case you’re talking about.”
“Of course I’m talking about your argument with Officer Hawkins from the Investigation Bureau. I also heard that the person who kidnapped your grandmother had been killed.”
“Did you call me to have a good laugh, Mr. Burton?”
“Of course not. If you need my assistance, I have some friends from the Investigation Bureau who can help ease the tension between you and Officer Hawkins. You still have a business to run, so you’re not supposed to offend those from the Investigation Bureau.”
“Thanks for your concern, Mr. Burton. However, I’m not interested in having anything to do with the Investigation Bureau.” Rachel turned him down steadfastly and frowned. The reflection of her expression on the window appeared haughty.
After a moment of silence, Jason uttered calmly, “What if I say I’m going to introduce some friends to you, Miss Hudson? Are you interested?”
