Chapter 772 Jealousy

• Seeing Jayce actually take a call in the board meeting, Mr. Lowell slammed the table and shot to his feet. Even if he was Ms. Astor’s boyfriend, there was no need to go easy on him. “Enough out of you—” Mr. Lowell had barely said three words when Jayce cut in. “That 1.5 million arrived, right? Send it back.” He said it, then hung up. Mr. Lowell and the other directors froze. “Send it back?” Money wired out like that—could it even be sent back? After he hung up, Ms. Astor looked totally lost, staring at Jayce like he’d just done the impossible. “Edwin, you’re joking, right? Who did you call?” Jayce smiled. “I’m not joking. Have Finance check. It should hit any minute.” Mr. Lowell frowned, clearly disappointed, and shook his head. “Kid, how long are you going to play us? I’ve tolerated you long enough. Because of the time you wasted, we still haven’t figured out how to plug the 1.5 million hole!” “Ms. Astor, I won’t say anything too harsh. You decide.” Mr. Lowell was so mad he could barely speak. Since Jayce was Ms. Astor’s boyfriend, as an employee, he didn’t dare go overboard. He just hoped Jayce would show some restraint and stop meddling. Ms. Astor sighed. She had no idea what got into Edwin today. He was talking big, and she was starting to feel embarrassed. “Okay, Edwin, wait for me in the office. Or you can head out first.” The other directors chimed in. “Yeah. You’re not helping here—just making a mess. You don’t understand business. Why stir the pot?” “Exactly. Ms. Astor is already swamped. As her boyfriend, you should read the room. If it’s not your lane, don’t butt in.” “He can butt in all he wants—just don’t brag. If you didn’t brag, we wouldn’t be this pissed, right?” Their beef with Jayce was basically that he was bragging. Big words, saying he could get back 1.5 million in funds. If he could pull that off, he’d be the richest man alive. While everyone was doubting Jayce, the door flew open and a woman burst in, face lit up with excitement. It was Levi, the Finance Department head. Mr. Lowell frowned. “Levi, what’s with the panic?” Levi blurted, “Ms. Astor, Mr. Lowell—the 1.5 million came back!” The second she said it, everyone shot to their feet. “What! Say that again!” Mr. Lowell’s eyes went wide. Levi said, “The 1.5 million was returned by the Bank of Eserith. Because of a firewall, their transfer system glitched. They said we need to redo the transaction.” Ms. Astor broke into a grin. “Great. Don’t redo it. Cancel the deal.” Like hell they’d send it out again—the money was already back. Levi said yes and hurried out. When she left, every eye in the room swung to Jayce. So the kid wasn’t just bragging? That 1.5 million really came back? Ms. Astor looked thrilled. In front of all these people, Edwin just made her shine. Her boyfriend was kind of badass. “Edwin, you actually got the money back. How did you pull that off?” Jayce smiled. “I knew there’d be trouble, so I had a friend drop in a firewall to block the transfer. Simple. The firewall just nudges the bank system to error out, the transfer fails, and you get the chance to do a second attempt.” “Once I saw it glitch, I told my friend to remove the firewall. The money came right back.” Everyone stared, stunned. They hadn’t expected him to really do it. Earlier, when Jayce asked Ms. Astor to grab food, everyone thought he was putting on a show—like a clingy boyfriend pestering a boss lady. After all, Ms. Astor was the state’s top earner. It was easy to imagine the worst. But now? Not so much. Jayce actually had some muscle. Either way, Jayce saved the company from a 1.5 million loss. That’s not something just anyone could do. Ms. Astor sidled up to Jayce and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Jayce hadn’t even reacted yet when her cheeks flushed bright red. The directors kept their eyes straight ahead, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing. Ms. Astor might be their boss, but she was also a young woman in love. It was normal. She was over the moon with Jayce. He really made her proud. 1.5 million! And those folks who said Jayce was just causing trouble? Funny how quiet they were now. Ms. Astor looked smug, like Jayce had pulled off such a clean play it made her happier than being the richest herself. Jayce gave a helpless smile and murmured, “You really don’t have much faith in me, huh?” Ms. Astor stuck out her tongue, sheepish. It was her turf, so she assumed Edwin didn’t have that kind of reach. Truth was, she didn’t know Edwin as well as she thought. If Jayce dumped all his assets on the table, he might outrank her. He could easily claim that top spot. But Jayce wasn’t into grandstanding. Nobody could even track what he was really worth. Ms. Astor glanced at her phone, suddenly remembering something. “Edwin, I’ve got stuff to handle, so I can’t hang out. I need a favor.” “Sure. What’s up?” Her expression turned a bit odd. “It’s about Jiaxin—her cousin, Fang Xiaoling. She’s in the vocal program at the media university. She wants to join The Echoes Season 2. You’re friends with Kirstie, right? Think you could help?” As she spoke, her tone went sour. Jayce felt a headache coming on. Ms. Astor had always been jealous of Kirstie. Maybe it was just that competitive thing between accomplished women—each jealous of the other. Kirstie held a grudge against Ms. Astor, too. Stuck in the middle, Jayce figured saying less was best. Back to business. “Okay. I’ll put in a word. Have her contact me.” “Mm-hmm. I’m off.” Seeing Jayce so calm, Ms. Astor let it go. If there really was something between Kirstie and Jayce, she couldn’t stop it anyway. Kirstie had known Jayce first, and the rumors had been around forever. Back then, Ms. Astor had even read their gossip pieces. She just didn’t know Jayce then, so it didn’t hit. If we’re talking first come, first served, Kirstie was first. After Ms. Astor left, Jayce got a call. The voice on the other end was soft and sweet—and clearly shy. “Jayce? I’m Jiaxin’s cousin. I’m Fang Xiaoling. Do you have time now?” “Yeah. Pick a place. I’ll meet you.” Since Ms. Astor asked, Jayce took it seriously. “Okay, Jayce. I’ll add you on WhatsApp and send my location. Coffee’s on me.” “Sounds good.” They made a plan and settled on a spot. Jayce headed out, grabbed a ride, and went straight there.