Chapter 214 This Is My Business
It was already 2 AM when the video call with Allegra ended. Leopold took off his glasses, rubbed his aching temples, and said, "Thanks for your hard work."
Allegra also looked tired. "Compared to what you're paying me, this is nothing."
Leopold said, "The high pay isn't just for the hard work."
Allegra understood what he meant—there was hush money involved too.
"Don't worry, Mr. Preston Wipere won't find out."
At the mention of Preston, Leopold's eyes darkened, his face turning cold as he said, "I trust your professional ethics."
His sudden icy attitude made Allegra realize she'd touched Leopold's bottom line. She paused before asking, "Was it really because of that recording back then that you made up your mind?"
Leopold didn't answer. Instead, as if he'd heard something ridiculous, he let out an extremely light snort of mockery from his nose.
Allegra said, "I'm just giving you a friendly reminder—what you're facing isn't just financial pressure. Connections, resources, industry rules—how are you going to get past the entire Celestial Waters Hotel?"
Leopold said, "That's my business. You just do your part."
Allegra nodded. "I'll do my best on this end." She noticed the time on the screen. "Get some rest."
Leopold closed the video call directly.
He tidied up the documents on the desk, put them all in a file box, and locked it in the drawer.
He lay on his side in bed, tracing Caroline's face in the moonlight, pulled the blanket up for her, then took Caroline's hand and held it. After a long while, drowsiness came over him.
Caroline arrived at the office early in the morning. Axel came in with tea, and the two chatted about winning the cable project bid.
"Nash is pretty impressive, beating out NexGen Cables to get our project."
NexGen Cables was a top-five cable manufacturer nationwide. Nash won purely on merit this time. To be honest, Caroline admired him too.
"He really is impressive," Caroline praised.
Axel sat on the sofa. "What time did you schedule the contract signing?"
Caroline said, "Eight-thirty."
Axel checked his watch. "It's almost time."
Caroline took a personal recorder from the drawer and put it in her bag. Before she could say anything, steady footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Nash appeared at the office door, with Briar behind him.
Today, he wore a minimalist black polo shirt and dark blue dress pants that made his legs look straight and long. His hair was neatly styled, making him look handsome and sharp.
Even though he'd made eye contact with Caroline, he still stood outside the door and knocked politely.
"Please come in, Mr. Hearst." Caroline stood up.
Axel also knew Nash. "Mr. Hearst, you really nailed this project."
Nash proactively extended his hand, his voice steady and strong. "I should thank you all for giving me this opportunity."
Briar saw Caroline and greeted her with a smile. "Ms. Tudor."
Caroline gestured for Briar to sit. "Please sit, Ms. Astor."
As she extended her hand, Briar noticed the gauze wrapped around Caroline's wrist. She immediately thought of Nash asking her about scar removal cream. She caught Nash's eye for a moment, but he looked away with an indifferent expression.
Briar didn't ask, but sat down and accepted the water Caroline handed her. "Thank you, Ms. Tudor."
Caroline took out her phone. "Let me call Mr. Russell."
The main leaders needed to be present when signing contracts. Caroline had just dialed the number when a phone ringtone came from outside the door, followed by Jasper saying, "I'm here."
Since everyone had arrived, Caroline took the company seal from the drawer. "Let's go to the conference room."
The contract signing went smoothly. After confirming the contract details were correct, representatives from both sides signed and stamped it.
Caroline still had to go check on electricity theft users, so she said goodbye to everyone and left. Nash watched her retreating figure until she disappeared from view.
Briar took it all in, her feelings mixed. She'd been with Nash for years. Though they had no official status, their relationship was an open secret at the company.
On the way back, the car was silent except for white noise.
Briar looked ahead and asked, "You like her?"
Nash was driving, trying to act casual, but his brow showed irritation. "What are you talking about?"
Briar said, "You know who I'm talking about."
Nash's face showed displeasure. "Are you sick or something?"
This was the first time she'd seen him so flustered over a woman. With other women, he'd just deny it at most. But when it came to Caroline, his reaction was too telling.
When would someone get angry over a woman? When he cared about that woman.
The more Briar thought about it, the more annoyed she became. "Don't forget, she's married."
"So what if she's married? Married people can get divorced." Nash didn't care about that.
Briar's face turned red and white. "She's the mayor's daughter, not someone you can mess with."
Nash pulled at the corner of his mouth, a wild look flashing in his eyes. "If she's willing, I don't care whose daughter she is."
Briar knew Nash was arrogant, but she didn't expect him to be crazy enough to go after the mayor's daughter. "Just forget about her. The couple is happy together, why would they divorce?"
Nash said, "Who knows what'll happen in the future?"
Briar turned to look at him—his expression didn't look like he was joking.
"Don't do anything stupid. Going after her is more than you can handle."
Nash said, "What if she's willing?"
Briar fell silent. She'd seen Nash's methods of pursuing women. Anyone he set his sights on—whether virtuous women, faithful wives, career women, or innocent college girls—if he wanted them, he'd get them.
"Don't go too far," Briar said.
Nash turned to look at her with a smile. "What? Are you jealous?" He reached over and patted Briar's leg. "Go buy yourself a bag with my card."
Briar felt like she couldn't breathe. She rolled down the window a bit to let the wind in.
Good thing it was morning—the midday heat would have made her even more irritable.
"Nash, let me ask you something." Briar suddenly became serious.
Nash frowned. Briar rarely called him by his name. "Go ahead."
Briar asked, "If—just hypothetically—she got divorced and asked you to marry her, would you?"
The car happened to catch a red light and stopped with the traffic.
Nash gripped the steering wheel. "Don't ask useless questions."
Briar had her answer. "I've been with you for so many years, and you won't marry me. Now, you'd be willing to marry a woman you've known for just a few days. Nash, am I really that worthless to you?"
Nash didn't want to talk about this. He sighed impatiently. "Stop making trouble over nothing!"
The light turned green. Nash floored the gas pedal and quickly changed lanes through traffic. Briar's heart jumped to her throat, her hand instinctively grabbing the handle above.
"She's not interested in you at all. Just forget it."
Nash's eyes turned sinister. "She's not interested in me? What if I ruin her reputation so badly that even her husband doesn't want her—would she be with me then?"
Briar was shocked. "You're crazy."