When the guy said that the information was leaked to the police, he probably meant the incident where Anthony was shot. If that were true, then everyone there was Nathaniel’s business partner.
At first, I thought that Anthony was simply ambushed. I didn’t know that someone had died. It means that this whole thing is much more dangerous than I initially imagined.
Looking at the current situation, Anthony seemed to have won a lot of support in the company through Nathaniel’s blackmailing, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.
A faint smile played on Nathaniel’s lips as he threw a question back at the two condescending old men. “What are you trying to say?”
Although he maintained a calm demeanor without making a fuss, the chilling aura he was exuding seeped silently into the bones of every person in the room.
As soon as he spoke, the few people who had been aggressively demanding him to hand over power immediately stopped talking.
No one dared to be the first to speak up.
Right then, a sharp voice of a woman rang out. “Mr. Warner and Mr. Chadwick were merely speaking the truth. You can go ahead and indulge yourself in romantic bliss, but don’t delay the group’s progress.”
It was then that I noticed the only other woman at the table. She was the perfect embodiment of an ice queen, with attractive features and a far more imposing aura than Freja. Her dark-red lips gave her the impression of a femme fatale.
She shot me a cold look when she caught me staring at her, but then she shifted her gaze away immediately afterward.
Nathaniel seemed fazed by her words, judging by his lips curling into a mocking smile. “Okay. I accept all your opinions. I’ll spend more time on the group’s affairs in the future.”
Everyone fell silent, looking dubious but making no move to reply.
Seeing the lack of response, Nathaniel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in apparent nonchalance as he said, “Let’s discuss your thoughts on venturing into the Chanaean market.”
Hearing this, Desmond Henley, who had remained silent while sitting next to Nathaniel, cleared his throat. “Let me say a few words. I think that the risks are too high alongside great uncertainty. The Chanaean police are far stricter than those in any other country. We’ll lose everything should things go wrong, so it’s not advisable to take risks.”
Vincent also voiced his agreement, “We joined the group back then on the premise that we won’t venture into the domestic market. We should be content ourselves with earning money from foreigners and having peaceful lives. Don’t leave us nowhere to turn to in the future.”
The elderly Theodore was naturally on their side as he nodded vigorously to their words. “That’s true. Look at those who are doing businesses in the gray areas in the legislation. Hardly any of them can afford to conduct affairs openly like us. Men cannot be too greedy.”
Nathaniel nodded his head before turning to look at the indifferent woman. “Do you agree with them?”
Without missing a beat, she replied nonchalantly, “I abstain my vote.”
“All right, then. I hereby announce that Ramona Sutton will take charge of the domestic market. My assistant will liaise with you later. Any questions?” Nathaniel ignored Anthony as he directly made the decision.
After he finished speaking, the faces of the elderly men darkened as they fidgeted uneasily in their seats.
“Whatever.” Ramona got up and left right after she said that.
After that, Anthony followed suit.
There was only a young man with no right to speak left in the room, exchanging glances with the senior members. Despite being furious at Nathaniel’s decision, they did not dare speak their mind.
However, the young man was more perceptive than the others and knew who was in charge, so he immediately plastered on a flattering smile. “Mr. Hall, Chanaea is such a big market, and it’s way too stressful for Ramona to manage on her own. Perhaps I can share the burden?”
Nathaniel gave the man a once-over and nodded soon after. “Okay.”
“Wonderful! I’ll be sure to do a splendid job!” The man broke into a huge smile, not forgetting to hand me a name card as he added, “Mrs. Hall, you’re the only woman that Mr. Hall has ever brought to a meeting with the higher-ups. I’m Teddy Barker. Don’t hesitate to look for me should you need my help in the future.”
Nathaniel shot him a death stare. “Do you have a death wish?”
“Mr. Hall is so protective…” Teddy beamed as he hurriedly put away the name card. He then placed his hands together in an apologetic gesture. “My apologies to you both for the slip-up. Please be magnanimous and don’t harbor any grudge against me.”
“Get lost!” At Nathaniel’s bellow, Teddy hurriedly gathered his things and left without making a sound.
Only when he had left did Nathaniel turn to look at me. “Are you all right?”
I shrugged to indicate that it was not a big deal, but that did not stop me from roasting him. “He does look like a teddy bear dog.”
It was originally said as a joke to liven up the atmosphere. However, several senior members seemed to take offense at it, as they left the room one after another the moment those words left my lips. I raised my brows in self-mockery. “They don’t seem to like me very much.”
Nathaniel’s lips curved upward slightly. “They don’t have to. It’s enough that I like you.”
“Speak properly, will you? That’s cheesy.” I ducked to avoid his face as he drew closer.
Nathaniel seemed to be in a good mood as he let it slide. He got up and led me out through a different door to a viewing platform at a high point of the villa.
The winter night of K City had always been chilly, especially on that night, as there were signs of incoming snow. Feeling the strong breeze on the mountain top, I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself as I stomped my feet to keep warm.
Nathaniel was still quite gentlemanly, seeing as he immediately draped his jacket over me.
I stood still when my body was finally warmed up. Then I began to survey the surroundings.
We seemed to be standing on the highest point of the viewing platform. Looking down, I noticed that other than the brightly lit villa in the distance and the dim lights of the viewing platform on the mountainside, the rest of the surroundings were pitch black.
While blowing warm air onto my hands, I asked, “What are you up to?”
For some reason, Nathaniel let out a chuckle as he walked over to a wooden bench at the side and sat down. While still maintaining his silence, he tilted his head to look at the sky with a blissful expression.
It’s already late. Did he bring me here to have a heart-to-heart chat? He’s pretty good at making my life difficult, isn’t he? But of course I’ll willingly go along with it if it were Anthony.
To avoid making him think that I was easy-going, I stubbornly stood at the side, fidgeting as I waited for him to grow weary of me and leave.
“What do you think of Ramona?” Nathaniel asked abruptly.
As I expected. He really knows the perfect place to talk. I petulantly replied, “Pretty. Can’t afford to offend her.”
He smiled. “You’re my woman, and she’s merely a subordinate. It is she who cannot afford to offend you.”
“What are you trying to say? Are you telling me that I can bully whoever I want, and you’ll back me up?” I said with a grin.
And become a heartless and vicious evildoer who is scorned by the whole world, just like him.
I did not say the last sentence out loud, of course. After all, it would be exhausting to argue at a place like this.
Nathaniel admitted without hesitation, “I suppose you can put it that way. You wouldn’t want to be the person that is always being bullied, would you? In a world where only the fittest survive, you have to let others fear you to protect yourself.”
“That’s pure sophistry,” I spat, unable to bear his words any longer.
“You always think that I’m wrong, but you never tell me what you think is right, and you refuse to communicate with me,” he complained, sounding like a grumpy old lady.
I could not deny that he was good at reasoning, but I had no excuse to avoid it, so I argued back, “Your perception is fundamentally wrong. The cruelty that you speak of only exists in the uncivilized world. There is harmony and warmth in the world we’re living in now. Of course, provided that there aren’t any troublemakers like you. You don’t have to bully others to protect yourself. As long as you protect yourself without hurting anyone, you can still live a good life.”
“Do you think what you said will come true? So many people all over the world have died of various man-made causes. Even when they’ve done absolutely nothing, they still end up dead. This is the consequence of only knowing not to hurt others.” Nathaniel narrowed his eyes with an unusually contemptuous look.
To him, the lives of those people were meaningless.
“Those were accidents, and it only happened to one out of millions of people. It’s because of people like you who don’t follow the rules and do whatever you like that such incidents happen. You’re one of those culprits. I don’t understand how you can sound so righteous!”
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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