Chapter 337: First Investment
Chapter 337: Chapter 337: First Investment
"Forgot your umbrella?" Owen Dunn asked.
Renee Jennings said, "Yeah, I forgot to keep a spare in the car."
"Wait here a second." Owen Dunn turned and walked away.
Renee Jennings’s phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Danielle Archer, asking if she was in the parking lot.
Just as she was about to reply, Owen Dunn returned with a folding umbrella in his hand.
"Here, this is for you."
"Thanks, I’ll take you up on that." Renee Jennings took the umbrella, pushed open the car door, and stepped out.
Owen Dunn held the umbrella over her for a moment to shield her from the rain. Once he saw she had her own open, he took a step back. "I’ll get going then."
Seeing him turn to leave, Renee Jennings quickly said, "I’ll get this back to you next time."
Owen Dunn stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, a gentle smile gracing his features. "Okay. I’ll be waiting."
There were puddles scattered across the pavement, so Renee Jennings walked gingerly, afraid of splashing her new white pants.
When she reached the entrance of the restaurant, she happened to run into Danielle Archer, who was holding two umbrellas.
Danielle hadn’t noticed her yet, so Renee Jennings called out, "Manager Archer."
Danielle Archer looked over at the sound of her voice and smiled. "Miss Jennings, I was just about to come find you."
"I happened to run into a friend who lent me an umbrella," Renee Jennings explained.
The two of them entered the restaurant together.
After they were seated, Danielle Archer handed her the menu. "I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I went ahead and ordered a few things. Take a look and see if there’s anything you want to add."
With that, she gestured for the waiter and told them they could start bringing out the dishes.
Renee Jennings glanced at the dishes Danielle had ordered. There had to be at least eight or ten of them.
She wasn’t a picky eater, so she set the menu down and smiled. "No need to add anything. The dishes Manager Archer ordered are just my style."
"Really?" Danielle Archer beamed. "That’s wonderful. What a happy coincidence."
The waiter brought out the appetizers. After a few bites, Renee Jennings smiled. "The food here is delicious."
"A friend recommended it," Danielle Archer said with a gentle smile. "I’m just glad you like it."
The more she looked at Renee Jennings, the more she liked her.
"Miss Jennings." Danielle Archer’s tone suddenly turned serious, her hands clasped around her glass. "Thank you so much. I’ll toast you with this tea in place of wine."
Renee Jennings raised her glass of sparkling water and clinked it against Danielle’s. After taking a few sips, she asked, "Has everything been taken care of?"
"I’ve already sent them to the police," Danielle Archer said.
Renee Jennings nodded. "That’s good. You’re more decisive than I thought."
"I was very hesitant at first..." Danielle Archer sighed. "But reality slapped me in the face. I had no choice but to be decisive. Being merciful to them would have been cruel to myself."
A smile played on Renee Jennings’s lips. "Then this toast is for you. Here’s to getting rid of those leeches."
"Thank you," Danielle Archer said, filled with gratitude. "It’s all thanks to you, Miss Jennings. Otherwise, I’d be a wandering ghost by now."
Renee Jennings just smiled, not feigning modesty.
After all, Danielle Archer’s fate truly had changed because of her.
"Miss Jennings, this is a small token of my appreciation." Danielle Archer slid a check for 500,000 across the table to her.
Renee Jennings glanced at it. "This is too much," she said softly.
"Not at all," Danielle Archer said with a solemn expression. "If anything, I think 500,000 is too little. It’s just that with my limited means, this is all I can manage right now."
She had spent most of her savings on Tina Archer’s family.
Renee Jennings was about to say something else, but Danielle Archer spoke with grave sincerity. "Miss Jennings, please, you have to accept this. 500,000 in exchange for my life... I’d say that’s a bargain."
Renee Jennings had visited her housekeeping company the day before. It wasn’t a large operation; earning 500,000 would not be an easy feat for her.
Just then, the system’s notification finally sounded in her mind.
[System 009: Congratulations, Miss Jennings, on completing the hidden mission: Salvation. Reward granted: 100 points, 1,000,000 Cash.]
Now that she had received the system’s reward, Renee Jennings was even more determined not to accept Danielle Archer’s money.
After a moment of thought, she said, "How about this? I’ll invest this 500,000 in your housekeeping company."
"Invest in my company?" Danielle Archer asked, surprised.
"That’s right." Renee Jennings nodded. "If it turns a profit, you can just pay me dividends monthly or quarterly."
Danielle Archer guessed Renee Jennings was only saying this because she didn’t want to accept the money. ’After all, whether there’s a profit or not is up to me to decide, isn’t it?’ she thought. The contrast was infuriating. Renee Jennings had just turned down 500,000 without a second thought, while Tina Archer had been willing to kill her for money.
Danielle Archer gazed at the young woman’s pure, delicate face and made a pivotal decision.
She took a deep breath. "Alright. When I get back, I’ll summarize the company’s current financial situation and send it to you. Then I’ll have someone draw up an equity distribution agreement."
Renee Jennings hadn’t expected her to be so serious. She was taken aback for a moment before nodding. "That works, too."
’Come to think of it, this is my first investment,’ she realized.
After dinner, Renee Jennings ordered a few extra desserts to take home.
She arrived back at Eastgate Villa at exactly 8:30 PM. On Zenvia Television, the family sitcom that Rhea Dempsey loved was already on.
The cats and dogs seemed to enjoy it too, all sitting attentively on the living room rug.
Rhea Dempsey was sitting in an armchair with a sheet mask on her face while Dalton Jenson massaged her shoulders from behind. Nearby, Diana Jennings was helping Zane and Jasmine make crafts out of water bottles and IceCream sticks.
"I’m back." Renee Jennings placed the dessert bag on the coffee table. "I brought you all some little cakes. Are you hungry for them now? If not, I should put them in the fridge."
"Definitely, definitely!" Dalton Jenson replied immediately. "Which one’s mine?"
Renee Jennings leaned over and pulled a strawberry mille-crêpe from the bag. "How about strawberry?"
"Perfect," Dalton Jenson said with a broad smile. "Strawberry is my favorite."
Then, he looked down at his wife. "Rae, I’m going to take a little cake break. I’ll get back to your massage right after."
"Go on," Rhea Dempsey said, peeling off her face mask. "Which one is for me?"
"Is the blueberry one okay for you?" Renee Jennings asked.
Blueberry, who had been engrossed in the TV show, shot her a suspicious look. "What? Eat me?"
"No," Renee Jennings said, amused. "There’s a fruit called a blueberry. This cake is made with that fruit, so ’blueberry’ just describes the flavor."
Blueberry sighed in relief. "Oh, good. As long as you’re not eating me."
Renee Jennings handed out cakes to everyone, saving a Chocolate-flavored one for herself.
Even though she had already eaten at the restaurant, she wanted to share this moment with her family.
After finishing her cake, Renee Jennings stretched. "I’m going upstairs to shower. I have to stream in a bit, so I won’t be coming back down."
She planned to ask on stream today if anyone was interested in adopting a cat.
After showering and drying her hair, Renee Jennings finally sat down in front of her computer. It was almost ten o’clock. As soon as she went live, viewers started pouring into the stream.
[Whoa, a surprise stream~~~ so happy~]
[Keep up this streaming schedule! Of course, streaming every day would be even better, hehehe!]
[Is the streamer wearing no makeup? You’re gorgeous]
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I’m streaming today because I have a KPI to meet."
[What? You have KPIs to meet???]
[Renee, aren’t you an indie streamer? Did you sign with an agency???]
[Ahhh, if we’d known you were going to sign with an agency, you should have signed with us!]