Chapter 137
Nora thought she was hearing things, thought she must have misheard.
"You're not really planning to make me marry into the Clark family, are you?" Michael leaned back on the sofa, asking casually.
Nora opened her mouth, taking a long while before speaking. "Mr. Smith, from what I can see, marrying into the Clark family would be most beneficial for your position in the Smith Group."
"Do I need to sell out my marriage through an arranged union to secure my position?" Michael asked back.
Nora took a sharp breath - it seemed he really didn't need to. "But it could solve a lot of problems."
"Then what's the point of working with you?" Michael felt like laughing helplessly. When would Nora's little brain figure this out?
Nora panicked instantly.
Michael meant that if he married into the Clark family, she would have no value or purpose.
It seemed to be true.
The Clark family could offer a once-and-for-all solution.
Something she couldn't provide.
Eyes reddening, Nora looked down at her hands. "Then, when does Mr. Smith plan to divorce me?"
What would she do? Was her relationship with Michael ending just like this?
Nora was terrified.
Pearl was about to be released. Without Michael, who would protect her?
"If you don't want to lose your value, then protect your man." Michael teased Nora, telling her to be smart and 'protect' him whenever she saw Aria in the future.
Nora got even more scared and wanted to cry. Was Michael blaming her for not protecting him well last night?
"Okay, Mr. Smith, I understand." From now on, before Michael drank anything, she would test it for poison first.
Any drink she could stop Michael from having, she would intercept.
She would drink it herself.
Michael looked at Nora suspiciously. Did she really understand, or was she pretending? Why did she look so miserable?
Had last night scared her?
"Alright, go to sleep." Michael stopped teasing Nora and told her to rest.
Nora couldn't possibly sleep. She curled up timidly under the covers.
She thought she'd be too scared to sleep, but when drowsiness hit, Nora fell asleep quickly anyway.
The room and bed carried Michael's unique scent, which made Nora feel safe.
Curled up under the covers, Nora even covered her head and slept deeply.
Michael was in a video conference, not saying a word the whole time.
Afraid of disturbing Nora, he kept the volume very low.
On the other end, several executives thought Michael wasn't feeling well today. "Mr. Smith, for this afternoon's bid, several companies are quite competitive. Please take a look."
Michael just acknowledged with a sound.
"Mr. Smith, for next quarter's departments..."
"Don't." Suddenly, Nora struggled in her sleep, her voice carrying a sob.
Michael looked over with concern and made a shushing gesture to the people in the video conference.
At the company headquarters, in the conference room.
All the employees looked at Michael in shock. The setting was clearly in a hotel...
There was someone in Michael's room!
Michael got up and went to the bedside, pulling the blanket down a bit, smiling helplessly and teasing gently. "Won't you run out of air under there?"
"Don't leave me, Aiden, don't go, please."
Over the years, Nora was often tormented by nightmares.
Her most desperate memory was from six years ago, when Aiden abandoned her, watching as she was raped by a strange man.
Michael's gaze was complicated, his heart inexplicably aching.
Why hadn't he met Nora earlier?
Why hadn't he protected her sooner?
If he had been the one to meet Nora first instead of James, maybe she wouldn't have gone through all this.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Michael comforted her softly.
On the video conference side.
All the executives in the conference room didn't dare breathe loudly. Though they couldn't see what was happening there, they could vaguely hear Michael's comforting voice - so gentle.
Gentle enough to shock them.
Having worked at the Smith Group for so many years, they had truly never seen this side of Michael.
"It's Ms. Clark. We saw the news - reporters exposed it last night and this morning, saying Mr. Smith and Ms. Clark entered and left the hotel together, going into the same room."
A female employee giggled quietly, whispering.
"This Ms. Clark is so lucky to have Mr. Smith dote on her like this."
"The Clark family is quite a decent family, too. After all, she's the daughter-in-law even Mr. Nolan Smith has acknowledged."
After quite a while, Michael returned, back to his usual cold demeanor. "Each department should submit reports to department heads for review. The operations deputy director is retiring, so operations should submit reports directly to me. Regarding who will take over as the next operations deputy director, think about who you want to recommend, and we'll discuss it when I get back."
Michael said meaningfully. After going back, he needed to start cleaning house at the company properly.
Nolan actually wanted to use the company to threaten him.
Well, they'd see about that.
In Aria's room.
"Ms. Clark, I've already told Mr. Nolan Smith about the situation here, saying you've been taking care of Mr. Michael Smith all night. He's very pleased." Isaac called Aria.
"Isaac, you did well. When I marry into the Smith family and join the company, I'll definitely promote you." Aria said with a smile.
"Then congratulations in advance, Mrs. CEO." Isaac knew how to talk.
"By the way, I heard from the hotel staff that Michael is thoroughly investigating last night's incident. It's only a matter of time before he traces it to you. You know what to say and what not to say..." Aria reminded Isaac.
Isaac got a bit nervous. "Ms. Clark, you have to help me. Everything I did was for you."
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, even if Michael traces it to you, there's nothing he can do. You're Mr. Nolan Smith's person. If he wants to fire you, he'd need Mr. Nolan Smith's approval. Besides, as long as I value you, he'll cool down eventually." Aria gave Isaac a guarantee.
"With your word, I'm relieved. You should rest early. I still need to prepare for this afternoon's bidding work."
"Alright. Keep an eye on Luna and her daughter's every move. Luna trusts you, but you need to be clear about whose side you're on." Aria said coolly.
She was going to marry Michael, so naturally, she had to help Michael secure his position in the Smith Group.
That meant Luna and James were her enemies.
And Isaac was a double agent.
He was someone Chairman Nolan had placed beside Michael, supposedly to help Michael but actually to monitor him.
And Luna had already gotten involved with Isaac.
Isaac was the cunning type, naturally welcoming all comers.
He wanted to please both sides, but it wasn't that simple or easy.
This afternoon's Shadow City project bidding - who would win was still unknown.
James and Luna weren't easy to deal with either.
In Luna's room.
James had returned, his expression not very good.
Michael had actually made him oversee the desert project - clearly targeting him.
"Useless thing." Luna cursed coldly. "Good thing Lyle's mother and I hit it off, otherwise you'd have no chance of winning this time!"
James kept his head down, saying nothing.
"For this afternoon's bidding, is Michael bringing Nora?" Luna asked.
"Yes." James nodded. "Nora is his assistant now."
"Perfect. This afternoon, as long as we embarrass Michael, our chances of winning will increase. A woman like Nora, covered in scandals, is perfect for causing trouble for Michael." Luna sneered. They couldn't find dirt on Michael, so they could only go after Nora.
"What are you planning to do?" James asked urgently.
"I've found some men who will cause trouble for Nora at the bidding venue. Nora's reputation and background are shameful to begin with. Now that she's Michael's assistant, Michael won't look good either. Once the scene unfolds, the partners will naturally blame Michael for his poor judgment in choosing an assistant. They won't want to offend the Smith Group, so they'll have no choice but to work with us instead. Understand?" Luna sneered.