On that sa day, Helen’s father stood close to the window, looking out at the city below. His room was on the top floor, giving him a clear view of everything he controlled. But right now, he was losing that control, and he could feel it. "Father, you sent for ?" Helen said as she walked in.
He didn’t turn around imdiately. His hands were clasped behind his back, his shoulders tense. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold and direct. "He still hasn’t changed his mind?"
Helen knew exactly who he ant. "No, he doesn’t even want to have anything to do with ." That got him angry. He turned around fast, his face dark with rage.
"What do you an? Since when?" "Since that day," Helen replied, her voice steady and bold.
Her father’s face changed. "Why are you so useless? You an you can’t even make him sign a contract?"
"I’m not useless. I know what I’m doing. Do you think soone like Julius will even look at this contract?" she shot back.
"I’m finding his weak point, and I think I’m on the right track." She crossed her arms slightly. "So just calm down and wait for my news."
After she said that, you could see the relief on his face. He had invested too much in this arrangent to let it fall apart now. Too much money, too much planning, too much of his reputation riding on this marriage and contract.
"Do you have any plan?" he asked again.
Helen stepped closer and whispered sothing into her father’s ear. Her voice was too low for anyone else to hear, but the words made her father’s expression change completely. He pulled back and looked at her, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"Good. Very good." His voice dropped lower. "I don’t care how you do it. Make sure he signs that contract. No mistakes are allowed." Helen nodded.
"I’ll try my best." "Don’t try," her father cut in sharply. "Make sure he signs it. No mistake is allowed."
The next day, Julius went to work early. He held a eting concerning the new contract with the mysterious company. The conference room was filled with his key team mbers, all discussing the partnership details.
Sarah stood up and cleared her throat. "Sir, there’s sothing else we need to discuss." Julius looked at her. "Can it be put on hold?" She shook her head. "No, sir."
"What is it?" "VOID Corporation, [Helen’s father’s company], has been trying to sign a contract with us for the past three months," Sarah said.
"And now it seems they’re pushing harder than before." One of the managers spoke up. "And it looks very suspicious, sir. Before, their offer was reasonable."
"But now they’re offering a 50-50 split on their lake building project." Another manager added, "Which is not normal at all. That project alone is worth billions."
"No company gives away half of sothing that valuable." Sarah continued, "I got a little information that they’re having problems within the company."
"Internal issues that they’re trying to hide." Julius’s eyes went cold. "A little information?" He cut her off before she could even finish.
"Is that what you get paid for? To bring a little information?" The manager’s face went pale. "Sorry, sir.
"I don’t want sorry," Julius said. "I want facts. I want everything." No one dared to speak anymore. The room went completely silent. The atmosphere turned cold and heavy.
Julius turned to Sarah. "Get the full information before the end of today. I want to know everything about VOID Corporation. Their finances, their board mbers, their problems, everything." "Yes, sir," Sarah replied imdiately.
At that mont, his phone vibrated on the table in front of him. Julius picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was a ssage from Harrison.
He opened it without hesitation. The ssage showed just an address. A private hotel on the other side of the city.
Julius’s eyes went wide the mont he saw it. He stood up imdiately. "That’s all for today. eting adjourned."
The eting room went completely quiet. No one dared to speak, but their faces said everything. Confusion. Shock.
They had no choice but to leave. One by one, everyone gathered their things and filed out of the room in silence. After everyone was gone and the room was empty, Julius picked up his phone again.
His fingers moved fast across the screen. [Are you crazy? Why are we eting at a hotel? Do you have a death wish?] He hit send and waited.
The response ca back almost imdiately. Harrison had read everything Julius said. The only reply he gave back was short and direct.
[Don’t be late.] Julius stared at the ssage, his jaw tightening. He clenched his teeth slightly. That man was going to drive him insane.
He walked out of the eting room and went straight to Sarah’s desk. They worked through everything quickly, signing docunts and clearing his schedule.
"Sarah," he said after everything was done, "do I still have anything on my schedule today?" Sarah checked her tablet. "No, sir. Everything has been cleared."
"Good." Julius stood up. Sarah looked up at him with concern. "Sir, where are you going?"
Julius didn’t look back as he walked toward the door. "I have an appointnt. You don’t need to drive there." "Yes, sir," Sarah replied, though her voice carried worry.
Julius left his office and called for the elevator. The doors opened almost imdiately, and he stepped inside.
The mont the doors closed and he was alone, his phone rang. Julius pulled it out, expecting to see Harrison’s na. But it wasn’t Harrison.
The caller ID showed a number he didn’t recognize. He frowned and answered anyway. "Hello?"
A woman’s voice ca through, shaky and rushed. "Hello, is this Julius Vane?" Julius’s frown deepened.
"Yes. Who is this?" "I’m calling from Central Hospital," the woman said. "The owner of this phone got into an accident, and you’re her ergency contact."
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