Initially, I would make a trip back to K City after taking a day’s break.
I had the flight ticket ready, but I received a call from Stacey out of the blue. “Ms. Stanhope, do you have some time for me?”
When I recalled the content of my conversation with Marcus on the day we signed the agreement with OrbitTech, I hesitated and asked, “What do you want from me?”
She started sniffling and murmured through the phone, “Ms. Stanhope, I should have seen it coming, but I don’t wish to be confined by the man for the rest of my life! Please spare me some of your time and allow me to tell you the things I have in mind!”
Since Anthony was not around, I was quite free. After much consideration, I gave in to her request and told her to meet me at Bridge’s Court at Barbara Road.
She heaved a sigh of relief and told me she would be there on time.
After I hung up the call, I got changed into a set of winter clothing and departed. By the time I reached the venue, Stacey was already there.
She put on an old-fashioned cashmere jacket and wrapped herself up. In order to conceal the bruises on her face, she had applied light make-up, yet they were still visible because she was heavily bruised.
“Why didn’t you wait for me inside? It’s cold outside.” I couldn’t help but ask when I caught her shivering while waiting for me outside of Bridge’s Court.
“I-I have been waiting for you!” She responded with a sheepish grin, yet it could barely conceal the fact she had been having it tough. I decided to stop poking my nose into her business.
Bridge’s Court wasn’t the most premium eatery in town. A meal or two at Bridge’s Court wouldn’t take a toll on her financially at all because she had considerably high pay while she was affiliated with Featherstone Corporation back in the day.
However, she was nowhere close to her prime anymore.
I wasn’t aware of her actual condition, but even if Felix mistreated her or she was jobless, she shouldn’t end up so miserable because she was a capable woman.
After we made our way into Bridge’s Court and placed our orders, we returned to our seats. She attempted to tell me the things she had in mind a few times, but she couldn’t do it.
In the end, I was the one who broke the silence and asked, “Stacey, why have you-”
She got ahead of me abruptly and asked, “Ms. Stanhope, do you remember the time you were abducted from the parking lot?”
I was taken aback by her words because only a mere few were aware of the incident that had occurred back then, and she wasn’t one of the few.
“Did Felix told you about it?” I recalled encountering the man back then. He was there on behalf of AC Credit to secure a deal with Featherstone Corporation. Apart from that, Joe and Rylee seemed to be the masterminds behind the abduction.
Since it hadn’t impacted me, I decided not to go after them and didn’t bother to make a fuss out of it. I didn’t want others to figure out I was abducted.
Stacey shook her head. In spite of her make-up, it couldn’t conceal her pale look. “I’ve overheard some stuff. Have you thought of the possibility of a third party that was aware of the forged abortion apart from Dr. Ludwick? Is anyone else aware of the things you have done to keep Mr. Featherstone by your side?”
I thought about it, but I couldn’t think of anyone else apart from Jared and Caleb.
To be honest, it had been quite some time since the incident occurred. Thus, I couldn’t recall the details anymore.
“Don’t you find it odd when there were only a mere few who were aware of the incident? Why would those who had abducted you decided to leverage your child as the bargaining chip to secure the tender of the project?” Stacey added.
“Felix is Dr. Ludwick’s son, isn’t he? I saw the mastermind by Felix’s side… Am I thinking what you’re thinking?” Once Mr. Tuffin showed up by Felix’s side, I could rule out the possibility the abductor was aware of my pregnancy back then.
Stacey shook her head and rebuked, “Dr. Ludwick would never share it with Felix when he didn’t even tell Mrs. Ludwick about it. The father and son duo aren’t on good terms since a few years ago. Frankly, they rarely talk to one another.”
Apart from Caleb, the only person I could think of was Jared. I asked with my brows furrowed, “Dr. Crest is one of Anthony’s close friends. Are you indicating that he’s involved in the incident?”
“Do you think I’m lying to you?” Stacey stared at me and asked in a quivering voice; she couldn’t suppress her emotions anymore.
I shook my head and sighed. “Jared wouldn’t have done this.” It was the truth – Jared wasn’t the shareholder of Featherstone Corporation, so he wouldn’t put my life at stake for Rylee’s sake because they weren’t that close either.
Yet, Stacey got worked up because I expressed my doubts over her words. She paused for a few seconds before adding, “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you confront Anthony and get him to tell you about the things that had occurred between him and Jared back then!”
I was surprised by the overwhelming news Stacey had brought up out of the blue. “Stacey, I know you’re trying your best to leave Felix, but you don’t have to stir things up to achieve your goal. I have moved on from the past.”
As compared to the miscarriage, the abduction was a relatively trivial incident in my life.
“Are you going to believe me if I tell you Jared is working with the Moore family and plotting something against Anthony? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the president of AC Credit has approached Anthony again, hasn’t he? They’re not coming after the fortune, but they’re coming after the foundation of the Featherstones! They can only get the better of the Featherstones by jeopardizing Featherstone Corporation from within, bits by bits. Otherwise, the Featherstones will be unstoppable if Anthony continues to lead the corporation to its prime! The Moore family wants to take the Featherstones out from J City once and for all!”
I was dumbstruck because Stacey finished her orated speech so sincerely as if it was the actual truth. “What is Jared going after?”
“Something happened between Jared and Anthony back then! You have to ask Anthony to get to the bottom of the truth!”
“Why does the Moore family want to take the Featherstones out when Rylee has a thing for Anthony? Rylee’s doting parents will never put their daughter’s crush at stake.”
She sneered and queried, “Ms. Sienna, I finally figure out the reason you’re terminated by the management of Featherstone Corporation. Do you think Rylee’s parents are fools? Rylee has a thing for Anthony because she can’t get her hands on him no matter what! When she’s sick of him, do you think her parents will allow him to get away unscathed? In fact, they’re disguising their actual motives through their daughter’s crush on Anthony – they’re trying to acquire the Featherstones through hostile takeover!”
Stacey thought of something else after pausing for a few seconds. “Anthony has decided to penetrate K City because of his ambition and the potential the city has to offer. Why don’t you put yourself in the other conglomerates’ shoes? There was only so much the five parties that were involved had to share. Do you think they’re willing to share the limited fortune with another outsider? They won’t get as much as they initially would since Anthony has shown up. If you’re one of them, do you think you’re going to allow Anthony to get things his way? Are you willing to share the limited fortune with a late-comer?”
Anthony had moved the headquarter to K City due to the abundant resources and information that was available there. Stacey was right – the conglomerates from K City would never allow such an ambitious and capable man to get a share of the limited wealth the city had to offer.
The Moore family did a great job of disguising their actual motive – they wished to acquire Featherstone Corporation through Rylee’s relationship with Anthony.
If Anthony and Rylee got married, the Moores and the Featherstones would be affiliated with one another. By then, the Moore family would have nothing to lose. Instead, they would gain access to all sorts of information and resources through Anthony.
All things considered, I couldn’t figure out the sort of past Anthony and Jared had.
“I can barely recall the things that have occurred back then, but allow me to express my utmost gratitude to you, Stacey. Although I’m grateful, I can’t possibly put my future at stake for your sake because helping you is going to expose me to immeasurable risk.”
Even though I couldn’t help but sympathize with the things Stacey had to go through, I wouldn’t necessarily offer my help because I was never a kind woman.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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