Dear Sweetheart novel

Chapter 703 A Competitor

Curtis stayed at the door for some time. He was about to leave when he heard the sound of a motorcycle engine

revving outside, followed immediately by a sharp rap on the door.

“Someone is knocking on the door,” Yasmin told Cassidy.

“I heard it.” Cassidy placed the pack of tissue down and spun around to head downstairs. “Why is there so much

going on?”

Back in his bedroom, Curtis went to the window immediately to gaze at the road outside.

“Is someone here?” Rayna got up from the couch and walked toward Curtis, reaching out to grasp his arm.

“Yeah.” Curtis wrapped an arm around her waist as he fixed his gaze on the superbike underneath the street lamp.

“Did James send him here?” Rayna guessed the person's identity ahead of Curtis. “I remember James has a friend

who loves riding superbikes. That engine roar sounded like a bike.”

Curtis recalled his previous conversation with James and nodded. “I think so.”

Cassidy donned a pair of plastic shoe covers over her shoes before making her way into the courtyard. She

unlocked the gate to see a male stranger standing outside. “Who are you?”

“I'm James' friend. My name is Ricardo,” the man introduced himself. He glanced into the courtyard and asked, “Are

Mr. and Mrs. Faymon around?”

“Yes, they are upstairs.” Cassidy stepped aside and gave him a pair of shoe covers. “Put them over your shoes.”

The man took them from her and did as told before entering the courtyard.

As he trailed behind Cassidy, he quietly uttered, “I'm here to collect some samples for research.”

“What samples? What research?” Cassidy whirled around hastily and cast him a wary look.

“It's—” Before the man could explain, he was cut short. “I asked him to come here,” Curtis said as he descended

the stairs to stand in the middle of the living room.

Hearing that, Cassidy gave Curtis a look and told the newcomer, “If that's the case, I'll leave you both to it.” She

was too exhausted and wanted to head straight to bed.

“Mr. Faymon,” the newcomer greeted Curtis politely.

Curtis scrutinized the man carefully, taking note of his grey hair and his casual attire—a T-shirt and jeans. He

seemed almost too young for the situation, making Curtis question his age and wonder if he was of legal age.

“James asked me to come and evaluate the situation for myself. He wanted to get a better look at the thing you

sent him a picture of.” The man spoke cautiously as Curtis appeared to be unwilling to disclose any details.

“You must be Vance Zacard, right?” A gentle voice echoed throughout the living room. Curtis turned over his

shoulder to see Rayna coming down the stairs. He went over to her and asked, “Why did you come downstairs?”

“I'm fine. I couldn't sleep and decided to join you,” Rayna assured him softly. “I only came down after Cassidy told

me the courtyard is clear.”

“Yes, I'm Vance.” The tense young man relaxed when he saw Rayna.

Vance was acquainted with Rayna, having encountered her once while in the company of James.

“I remember that you majored in biology,” Rayna said slowly.

Vance nodded. “Yes. To be specific, biochemistry and cytology.”

“Curtis, bring him upstairs to take a look,” Rayna said as she took Curtis' arm. “Vance's father is a biologist and a

professor. I'm sure that James must have asked him to come and lend us his expertise.”

“Okay,” Curtis agreed. He then led Vance upstairs with Rayna.

Vance pulled out his phone in the hallway outside the second-floor sunroom and used the torchlight to get a better

look at the window. He noticed the slimy residue left by the Serekos and scrunched up his brow. “Can I open the

window?”

“I think so. Be careful,” Curtis reminded him. He then watched as Vance slowly opened the window and carefully

extended a long cotton bud to retrieve some slime. The cotton bud was then placed into a container.

“What does the Serekos look like?” Vance questioned.

“If you wish, I can show it to you.” Cassidy's voice rang out behind them. “It's in the warehouse.”

Sensing the displeasure in her voice, Rayna patted Curtis' shoulder and asked, “Is Cassidy upset?”

Curtis observed Cassidy's expression. “I believe she's just tired.”

Indeed, Cassidy was exhausted. After spending hours trying to clear the Serekos in the middle of the night, she had

thought she would finally get to rest. Yet, her plans were dashed when an unknown person suddenly showed up at

her house. As the host, she couldn't possibly ignore him.

“Oh, okay,” Vance agreed readily.

Cassidy turned to look at Rayna and Curtis. “Bring Belle back to get some rest. I will take care of the issue

concerning the Serekos. By the way, if someone else is coming, please inform me in advance as this is my house.”

With that, she led Vance away.

“Didn't you tell Cassidy that someone will be coming?” Rayna asked.

“I didn't know he'd arrive this soon.” Knowing it was an oversight on his part, Curtis explained, “James didn't tell me

he knew someone around here.”

“Mm, you're right. I had no idea he knew someone around here, too.” Rayna bobbed her head in agreement as

they made their way back to their bedroom.

Back in Norwal City, Theodore and Jeremy were watching the video sent by Curtis in the group chat as they talked

on the phone. “What the heck is this?” Jeremy was confused.

“I don't know. We need to ask Curtis what it is.” Theodore's interest was piqued as he watched the video of the

Serekos in his study.

“I think he's asleep at this hour. We'll ask him the next morning. By the way, I think James is on his way to Jayfort

with someone. Should we head there too?” Jeremy asked.

“No need. Let's wait and see,” Theodore replied. He then forwarded the video to everyone in the biology research

center.

Jeremy got to his feet, holding a cup in his hand. “By the way, a reporter told me that Glory's new product might

cause its users to suffer from acne. How are you planning on tackling this problem?” he asked.

“I noticed that Faymon Group and Glory's share prices are dropping these few days. Even Sanders Group has been

affected. Did Jasmine mention it to you?” Jeremy wandered over to the window to observe the advertisement on

the structure across from him, which was displaying Glory's newest product.

“Yes, but I haven't told Curtis about it,” Theodore revealed with a sigh. “Curtis barely had time to contact me for the

past two days, so I assume they must be struggling to resolve Rayna's problem,” he said.

“Oh, by the way, a new enterprise, YL Technologies, has just been founded in Ulmrich,” Jeremy said off-handedly.

“I've already done some digging, and it turns out that it's a subsidiary of Zeller Group. The timing of this seems

suspiciously coincidental, doesn't it?”

“Technology company? What does it specialize in?” Theodore had been busy in the research center for the past

couple of days, so he wasn't as updated as Jeremy.

“Like Glory, it focuses on skincare products,” Jeremy answered as he narrowed his eyes at the LED screen that now

displayed another advertisement. “Besides the previous skincare products, is Glory also developing some whitening

products?”

“Yes. Rayna has been planning this for some time now, and we are aiming to make a formal announcement to the

media at the beginning of next month,” Theodore explained.

“YL Technologies has a whitening product that they will launch next month,” Jeremy told him. He then placed the

cup he was holding on the coffee table next to him.

On the other end of the line, Theodore was taken aback. A while later, a grim look crossed his face.