Chapter 628
Chapter 628
Wendy waited patiently for a while longer.
When she realized no one was actually coming to pick them up, she puffed out her cheeks at Lucas and said:
"Lucas, is Ms. York busy with something? You two are so close—she wouldn't be upset just because I came back with you, would she?"
She watched his expression carefully as she continued, "Why don't you ask her again if she's tied up with something? I'd hate for you two to have a misunderstanding because of me."
Lucas glanced at Wendy. "I apologize for keeping you waiting. This is inexcusable on our part."
Wendy quickly waved her hands, saying considerately, "I don't mind at all. I just don't want you two fighting because of me. You've been on such a long business trip overseas—you must be exhausted already. Ms. York…"
She trailed off with a sigh.
Subtly expressing her sympathy for Lucas.
As if silently accusing Eleanor of being inconsiderate.
Lucas nodded. "I've spoiled her. She doesn't know when to draw the line."
After that, they stopped waiting. Lucas couldn't reach the company driver, so he simply hailed a cab.
But their first stop wasn't the office to find Eleanor.
Instead, he checked Wendy into a room at one of the city's most luxurious hotels, saying, "I'm terribly sorry about this. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with staying at the hotel for now."
Before leaving, Lucas told Wendy, "If you need anything at all, feel free to contact me anytime."
Wendy watched as Lucas prepared to leave.
She'd worked so hard to get Lucas to agree to let her come along.
There was no way she'd just let him walk away like this. She quickly called out to stop him, "But Eleanor seemed pretty upset today. If you go back now, won't you two end up fighting?"
Then she put on a helpless, vulnerable expression, looking around uncertainly. "I rarely come back to the States, and I'm not familiar with this place. Coming back this time has already been such an imposition, with you taking care of me the whole trip. How about…"
"How about I treat you to dinner? Maybe by then Eleanor will have cooled off."
Lucas's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He tried to reassure the fragile, helpless Wendy. "Don't worry. Eleanor won't be angry with you. She…"
He paused, his tone shifting to displeasure. "I've just spoiled her too much. Throwing a tantrum in front of a guest like this—I need to have a serious talk with her."
Lucas's expression darkened as he turned to leave, telling Wendy, "Get some rest. I'm going back to have a word with Eleanor."
Looking as if he was about to march straight back and give Eleanor a piece of his mind.
Wendy felt a twinge of disappointment.
But seeing that Lucas was already growing tired of Eleanor, the satisfaction in her heart ultimately outweighed her regret.
She waited eagerly for Lucas and Eleanor to turn against each other because of her. All she needed to do was stir the pot a few more times, and before long, she might hear news of Lucas and Eleanor's divorce.
When that happened, Eleanor and everything else…
Would all have to step aside for her!
At that thought, Wendy's disappointment evaporated. She turned to contact her father, Clifford Myers, cooing playfully, "Daddy, guess where I am right now?"
She told Clifford cheerfully, "Just sit back and relax. Lucas is already in the palm of my hand. Once I've got him completely, both his and Eleanor's assets will be mine."
Wendy was already imagining how glorious her future would be once she had Lucas.
Clifford laughed heartily. "That's my girl. I knew no one could escape your grasp."
On the other end of the line, his gaze moved past Wendy's photo to a silhouette sitting in the shadows.
His eyes filled with gratitude.
Without this person's help, Lucas wouldn't have fallen so quickly.
Hypnosis really was a wonderful thing.
Father and daughter chatted a while longer, clearly already considering Lucas their prize, before hanging up with complete confidence.
After leaving Lucas stranded at the airport, Eleanor didn't give him another thought.
She worked at the office all day, then dragged her exhausted body home that evening.
The moment she opened the door, she was swept into a solid, familiar embrace.
Lucas sounded somewhat aggrieved as he buried his face in Eleanor's neck and breathed deeply. "Finally free."
After a moment's surprise, Eleanor caught on and laughed lightly. "What, even a beautiful woman throwing herself at you wasn't enjoyable? You're awfully picky."
"I swear I never let her get close to me."
Lucas was desperate not to be misunderstood, rushing to make his case. "Even on the way back, I made an excuse about needing to handle work and took two separate cars from her."
Seeing how anxious he was, Eleanor's vague irritation completely dissolved. "I never said I suspected you."
Her expression remained dismissive.
But seeing Lucas return safely without falling into any trap still filled her with relief.
She suppressed the smile tugging at her lips.
Instead, she chose to get to the bottom of things first, pulling Lucas to sit properly on the couch. "So what exactly happened? Tell me everything in detail."
At that, Lucas's expression turned cold.
A flash of genuine menace crossed his eyes. The fury over being manipulated during his trip abroad still simmered beneath the surface.
Now wasn't the time to settle accounts with the Myers family.
He closed his eyes briefly, then told Eleanor about his suspicions from the very first meeting with Clifford.
"You remember the Myers family's collaboration proposal, right?"
Eleanor nodded. Of course she remembered. "Pharmaceuticals. It had some connection to the medical technology in one of our subsidiaries, which is why I initially considered it."
"Right. But after I got there, I discovered the Myers family doesn't actually have any legitimate pharmaceutical operations to support this partnership."
"What?" Eleanor straightened slightly. "Go on."
As it turned out, the first thing Lucas did after meeting Clifford was test whether this collaboration was even viable.
The results made Lucas immediately suspicious.
The Myers family was an old-money dynasty that appeared prosperous on the surface, with years of accumulated wealth.
But in reality, they'd been in decline for a long time due to poor management. Internally, the Myers family hadn't made any significant moves in years—anyone could see they were on the decline.
Yet recently, they'd suddenly partnered with a well-known pharmaceutical company.
This partnership had injected some new life into the struggling Myers family, giving them a brief reprieve in their downward trajectory.
Eleanor nodded. "I see. But what does that have to do with them suddenly approaching us for a partnership?"
"Because I looked into the Myers family's current financials."
Lucas continued, "The Myers family may appear stable on the surface, but at the end of the day, after years of decline, once they got this breathing room, their first priority should be recuperation—conserving their strength to avoid another downturn."
"But instead, they immediately reached out to us for a partnership."