Chapter 31
In an instant, the conference room fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
The next moment, a wave of knowing glances and excited whispers rippled through the room. The two gossipers from earlier gripped each other’s hands, their eyes wide with anticipation as they continued their hushed commentary.
“Oh my god! It’s Hannah again p>
“He’s so ridiculously smitten. Everyone else has to silence their phones for meetings, but he never does, just in case Hannah messages him p>
“Here we go again. He’s going to leave mid-meeting. What a love-sick fool p>
“Sure, it’s great gossip, but I heard several of the company’s founding executives are thinking of jumping ship. The CEO’s head is clearly not in the game, his name is all over the tabloids, and last quarter’s financial report was a disaster p>
“Forget work for a minute. It’s time for the tea p>
Hearing this, Marguerite took a deep breath, her expression hardening. Theobald’s downfall was already in motion. Her cold gaze was fixed on him.
Anna, who had just returned from her office with her laptop and taken a seat behind Theobald, tensed when she heard the ringtone. He’s not going to leave again, is he?
The balding executive who was presenting trailed off, not wanting to interrupt the CEO while he checked his messages.
Theobald frowned, sensing the shift in the room’s atmosphere. He was so used to leaving his phone on that he had forgotten to silence it today. He had already decided to be more discreet; George’s warning still echoed in his mind. If the company really did go under, how would he support Marguerite?
Seeing that Theobald hadn’t immediately reached for his phone, Marguerite relaxed slightly. You can be a fool once, she thought, but you can’t keep making the same mistake. Otherwise, she’d really have to wonder how he’d managed to build such a massive company in the first place.
Theobald fiddled with the rosary on his wrist and looked at the executive, about to tell him to continue, when the special ringtone sounded again. He took another deep breath, determined to ignore it. Thɪs chapter is updated by.net
But a second later, the distinct sound of a voice call rang out.
That did it. Hannah had never tried to voice call him before. This had to be an emergency.
He snatched up his phone and answered without a second’s hesitation. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.
A soft, tearful voice came from the other end. “Theo, I was hit by a car. It hurts so much p>
Theobald’s expression immediately grew grave. “Where are you? Send me your location. I’m on my way p>
At a quiet, picturesque spot popular for photoshoots, Hannah stood up from the ground, pulling on her sunglasses and hat. “Get that
scooter out of here, quick!” shool
hissed at her assistant. She knew Theobald would come running. She couldn’t stand the thought of him suddenly losing interest in her, so she’d devised this little test to see if he still cared. She’d had her assistant gently bump into her with an electric scooter, then she’d fallen onto her bare knees. When he arrived, she’d tell him a delivery driver had hit her, but she’d let him go because she felt sorry for him. It was a win-win: she’d look kind and compassionate, and she’d get all of Theobald’s sympathy.
The assistant, looking at the tiny scrape on Hannah’s flawless knee, had to suppress a sigh. By the time Mr. Scott gets here, that thing wift probably have already healed. She had no idea what had gotten into Hannah lately. She used to be so indifferent to Theobald, and now she was resorting to cheap theatrics The assistant suspected Theobald had a master strategist advising him, using a classic push-and-pull tactic to win Hannah’s heart. And it was clearly working. Poor him.
After receiving Hannah’s location, Theobald saw it wasn’t far. He fiddled with his rosary and addressed the room. “Something’s come up, I have to go. Continue the meeting without me. My secretary will send me the minutes later p>
Everyone nodded in unison. No one dared to object. A few of the older executives looked like they wanted to speak up, but they held their. tongues. It wasn’t like they hadn’t tried talking to him in private before. It never worked; it just made him resent them. The man had taken a failing company and turned it into an empire in just four years; he clearly had a brilliant business mind. People like that didn’t tolerate having their authority challenged. And he was known for being ruthless, not even hesitating to send his own uncle, Fitch, to prison. Who would be foolish enough to publicly criticize him? It was career suicide. Silence was the wisest choice.
Anna, sitting behind him, opened her mouth, then closed it again, remaining silent. She was just an assistant; it wasn’t her place to overstep.
The entire room was watching him. He was used to being the center of attention, but today, he felt an unfamiliar, invisible pressure. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He instinctively fiddled with his rosary again to quell the strange feeling in his gut.
Phone in hand, he turned and was about to stride out of the room when a clear, cold voice sliced through the silence from the back.
“Theobald! Stop right there p>