Chapter 34 So Close
It had been three days since the Paragon Legal team started working together with MGC's relevant divisions as a joint team to finalize the acquisition process of the related company.
But for Elliot Harrington, this felt more like torture. Out of so many law firms in this city, why did it have to be Paragon Legal Partner? Why did it have to be the firm that employed an annoying man like Bruce Miller?
Elliot let out a long sigh, slowly massaging his temples. His mind couldn't stop replaying the moments of Bruce and Audrey often seen talking—too familiar to be called merely professional.
Liam, who was sitting across the table with documents in hand, immediately looked up. "Excuse me, Sir? Is something wrong with the document?" he asked carefully, afraid that he had made a mistake.
Elliot flinched slightly, quickly adjusting his sitting position. "No. Nothing," he answered quickly, trying to cover up his reverie. "Just continue."
Liam nodded softly, returning to focus on the document he was explaining. Occasionally, he glanced at Elliot, who didn't seem to be fully listening. Elliot did nod sometimes, but Liam knew his boss's mind was somewhere else.
After the discussion was finished, Liam stood up and began tidying the documents scattered on the table. Before leaving, he turned back toward Elliot. "Oh, Sir, regarding the business trip to Riverton in three days... I just remembered. Your return schedule clashes with the board of directors meeting. Do you want to move it forward or postpone it?"
Elliot frowned, as if trying to recall something. "Business trip?" he repeated, more to himself.
"Yes, Sir," Liam nodded. "The one to Riverton."
Elliot sighed, rubbing his temples. "Just tell Audrey to reschedule it. Tell her to come to my office now to discuss this."
"Yes, Sir," Liam replied, then left the room.
A few minutes later, Elliot was still staring at the document in front of him, although his eyes were clearly not focused on reading. The intercom on his desk suddenly broke the silence.
"Yes?" Elliot said after pressing the speaker button. He was still trying to read the document.
"Sir, Audrey is not at her desk," Liam's voice sounded from the other end.
Elliot lifted his face, frowning slightly. "Not there? Where did she go?" he asked sharply, unintentionally.
"I... also don't quite know where she is," Liam answered carefully.
Elliot's jaw hardened. He immediately thought the worst, even though there was no evidence whatsoever. "Find out where she is," he said curtly before hanging up.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming on the desk. His gaze sharpened as his mind was busy guessing.
"Is... she with Bruce?" he thought, his heart slowly starting to rumble with an assumption that might not be true.
Unable to wait any longer, Elliot stood up from his chair. He grabbed his jacket with a quick movement, then walked out of the room.
The office corridor felt longer than usual. Elliot walked with long, quick strides, his expression stiff. His heart rate began to become erratic while his brain couldn't think of anything positive. Occasionally, staff who crossed paths with him lowered their heads, greeting him politely.
However, Elliot was too lost in his thoughts to notice them.
The man went straight to the planning division, a place Audrey often visited to manage schedules and project reports. When he appeared at the door, the atmosphere of the room immediately changed.
"Mr. Harrington!" one of the staff exclaimed, hurriedly standing up from her chair.
"Good afternoon, Sir!" another staff joined in standing, looking at Elliot with sparkling eyes.
"Good afternoon," Elliot replied briefly, although his gaze was busy sweeping the room, looking for Audrey's figure.
One male staff, who seemed the bravest, stepped forward. "Is there anything we can help you with, Sir?" he asked with an enthusiastic smile.
"Have... you seen Audrey?" Elliot asked directly, trying to sound firm so as not to arouse suspicion.
"Oh, Miss Audrey was here earlier, Sir," a female staff answered, pointing to a desk near the schedule board. "She helped us rearrange the timeline for the joint project with the Paragon legal team. Very helpful, as always."
"That's right, Sir," the male staff chimed in. "Miss Audrey is great. Very detailed and quick. We learned a lot from her."
"If it weren't for Miss Audrey, we might still be overwhelmed coordinating this report," another female staff member with thick glasses added.
Elliot listened to all of it with a continuously calm expression, but for some reason, pride just surfaced. He couldn't even hold back his smile, as if someone precious to him was being praised.
"Good. That's the standard I expect from my team," he said, though the slight lift of his chin betrayed his personal pride in her.
The staff looked surprised to hear the compliment, as Elliot almost never said anything in that manner. However, to maintain politeness, they nodded in agreement with the man's opinion.
"But do you know where she is now?" Elliot asked again.
"Miss Audrey seemed to have excused herself to the meeting room, Sir," the female staff with glasses answered. "A meeting with the Paragon legal team."
Hearing that answer, Elliot paused briefly, then his jaw hardened slightly. "On the eleventh floor?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Thank you," Elliot said curtly, then turned and walked quickly toward the elevator.
However, before leaving the room, the young CEO turned again. "Good job. Keep it up."
"Thank you, Sir!" they exclaimed in unison while bowing, their spirits seeming to lift.
Inside the elevator, Elliot took a deep breath. His pride in Audrey couldn't erase the discomfort that kept bothering him. "She's with Bruce again?" he thought, the anxious feeling refusing to disappear.
The elevator stopped on the eleventh floor with a gentle chime. The door opened, and Elliot stepped out with quick steps. The corridor felt quiet, only the faint sound of conversation from the meeting room at the end could be heard.
Elliot stopped right in front of the meeting room with the transparent glass. His eyes immediately caught Audrey's figure inside, standing with a confident gesture, talking to the Paragon legal team.
However, what made his blood boil was Bruce’s position, standing so close to her.