Aland had just got home when lunchtime was over. He immediately went to JF Groups with a messy face. Hearing all the stories that Meggie revealed certainly made him emotional. After all, Meggie and the place where he grew up, even though it was only an orphanage, had been the most important part of his life before he met Pete.
Throughout the journey, Meggie's words kept ringing in his ears. The corner of his eyes looked wet as if he was crying, although it's did not wet his entire face."She said you were born with a dangerous virus. That's why we accepted her offer without hesitation. She said she would pay all the hospital and quarantine fees. She also asked me to leave here immediately with all the orphanage members. And she just said she would take you to the same hospital for quarantine. But we didn't hear anything other than the fire that killed you and Steven at the same time."Aland closed his eyes right after his car was parked in the JF Groups' spacious car par"What are you waiting for, Shannon?" Jill's question during dinner at home made Shannon, Aland, and Pete frown simultaneously. Without surprise, Jill spluttered and savoured her food while staring at Shannon.Instead of answering, Shannon only turned her head briefly. She smiled, then went back to eating her food wordlessly. Just as they had planned before.Feeling ignored, Jill gave an annoyed glance. She finished off the steak, which was cooked medium rare, just the way she liked it. "It's okay if you're reluctant to talk about this, Shannon. Besides, I know very well that you're having trouble finding investors. What's wrong with accepting the offer to fund your big, fantastic, high-value project? Isn't the sooner it's realised the better for Reynolds Industries?"Shannon let out a long sigh. She glanced at Aland, who seemed to blink faintly as a code to continue with the plan. Then she looked back at Jill equally intently. "I know you care about Reynolds Industries,
"What exactly are you trying to show me, Lia? I taught you about privacy since you were a kid and you come into my bedroom without permission? Have you lost your mind? Are you really so disturbed in your head that you have to sneak into your mum's room, huh? Answer me, Lia!"Camellia was trembling from hearing Jill's incessant diatribe since dinner was over. Her hands had been clenched even since Aland had told her the truth about what she did when she rushed home, even though it wasn't lunchtime.Jill closed her eyes and took another deep breath. I don't know how many times her anger had been forgotten, but it was still manageable because she felt sorry for the first daughter. Her hands clasped around her waist, finally gave up. He sat back on the sofa as she glanced at the clock that pointed to almost midnight."You're going to keep quiet? Then fine. Whatever you choose, Lia. Just keep quiet. And I can do the same thing. Keep you quiet. You think I won't be able to rep
The next day."What made you want to see me?" asked Aland, just as Arthur walked into the new room at JF Travel. His hands were clasped together as Arthur responded only with a smile.Without being invited, Arthur sat on the sofa comfortably. He looked at the new interior that was filled with graffiti of prominent landscapes in several countries. "Not bad. Even though it's just a facade and interior paint company, it can actually make the space more lively even without anyone visiting."Aland looked down to hide his faint laughter. He looked at Arthur as he took a pen from his shirt pocket and tapped it on the table as if it were the chiming of a ticking clock. "I don't have much time, Arthur. Just tell me what you want."Arthur raised both eyebrows, then sniggered and patted his hand lightly. “I appreciate people who are direct and straightforward, and don't waste the time.”"So please stop beating around the bush, Arthur.""Okay." Arthur reached into his ba
Arthur kicked the table violently. He was running out of ideas. Especially when he got insulted by Aland for who knows how many times. He quickly dialled Alex, who was immediately connected, without having to wait any longer."You sure this idea hasn't been heard by anyone, huh?"Alex Law immediately chuckled softly. He sighed before finally bowing in affirmation, as if Arthur was actually in front of him, cursing him disrespectfully as before. "I am absolutely certain, Mr Fischer. How could I possibly lie to you? I just want Mrs Reynolds and you to get back on your feet and be as successful as ever, Mr Fischer. It would be impossible for me to betray Mrs Reynolds. I mean it, Mr Fischer."Arthur sat anxiously as Jill's name continued to be mentioned. He nodded his head slowly before finally leaning back after flopping onto the sofa. "You're right. Let me get this straight. At US Foods, I'm the CEO. So it's me who will succeed, not Mrs Reynolds. She's just a consultant fo
"Are you getting crazy, Cobb? Marriage isn't something that can make you richer, Cobb! You think you'll get everything after the merger? You thought Shannon would give up Reynolds Industries so easily? A merger is not a decision you can make in a hurry, you idiot! There's so much more to fulfil the merger requirements! Besides, what about the shareholders? Two major industries in the UK are going to merge? What the holy shit with you, huh?"Arthur had not stopped cursing ever since he first came to JF Moulding for a one-on-one talk. Despite the distance, he didn't want to delay time to prevent Aland's plan from being realised. Especially when Jill was still unreachable and unaccounted for.Without ignoring Arthur's presence, Aland continued to pay attention to every detail of the furniture design requested by a customer. "I think you know that all the shareholders have approved it. After all, this has nothing to do with you, right? You have no special contribution to either
"I was really surprised to see this poster, Nick. You designed it well. Thank you," said Aland after JF Properties' working hours were over. He really appreciated Nick's initiative in promoting JF Travel, like the plan he had revealed to Pete."No, Mr Fischer. It was Sarah's idea directly. She was out on the town when she saw you standing in front of the renovated JF Travel." Nick paused his sentence when he saw Sarah blinking rapidly, trying to stop the statement from being made.Seeing that, Aland turned to Sarah, who was sitting on the opposite sofa. His eyebrows furrowed, as if demanding an answer to Nick's statement. "Why didn't you greet me, Ms O'Dell?"Sarah looked down with a flushed face, while her cloth hands twisted the hem of her shirt in nervousness. "Sorry, Mr Fischer. We are indeed here as superior and subordinate. But when I go to the city, we're not bound by work, are we?"Aland didn't understand. He shook his head and glanced at Nick. "So what is it
Arthur was getting restless. Twenty-four hours without Jill's presence had left him increasingly unable to function for a moment. In fact, he had more than a few teams to do all the work directly related to US Foods. But Arthur couldn't trust them completely.The clock had already struck nine when Arthur left his room on the top floor. For the first time, he left so late that there was no one left in the US Foods building in the centre of the city.Restlessly, he headed to the hotel where he had bought a large apartment. It only took him a short while to arrive at his luxurious new residence. He threw himself onto the bed, no longer knowing what he could do for the next day.Arthur glanced at his phone again, but none of his messages had arrived. Irritated, he shouted as loud as he could to vent his anger. "Jill is crazy! How could she really disappear without saying anything to me? There's not even anyone who can find her at the ends of the earth?"Unexpectedly, his
"They're back."Pete's sudden statement before the newly married couple left the living room did not surprise them in the least. He nodded when Aland turned his head, even if only to confirm Pete's sentence once again.Pete's nod made Aland chuckle softly. Aland put his arm around the shoulder of Shannon, who also looked back. "Come in, Pete. If they're back, there will most likely be a war after this. We don't want you getting cussed out again."Pete quickly packed up all the files and his laptops on the desk. He rushed inside when he heard the roar of vehicles entering the courtyard.Aland and Shannon glanced at each other briefly before nodding firmly. "They're going to explode when they hear from Arthur, hun. Are you ready to handle it?"Aland's question was only answered with a nod by Shannon with great confidence. Sure enough, just as the two of them climbed the stairs, the door to the Reynolds residence was opened so loudly that there was a thud that surpr