As everyone began packing up their belongings, a crisp voice rang out, breaking the atmosphere of harmony in the conference room.
“I object.”
Parker furrowed his brow, “What qualifications do you have to object?”
“I am the current head of the company,” Evelyn’s tone carried a hint of defiance, “As for qualifications, aren’t they granted by the institute?” She then pulled out documents detailing the company’s performance over the past three years, along with the institute’s explicit regulations.
“According to the institute’s regulations, subsidiary companies can only be forcibly shut down if their performance fails to meet standards for three consecutive years. Although the company’s performance has been lackluster, we’ve only recorded losses for two years so far. And don’t forget, based on the company’s establishment date, we still have nine months left this year,” Evelyn asserted.
Parker sneered, “Nine months is just a dying struggle.”
“That’s my business. Is Minister Donovan always so fond of meddling in others’ affairs?” Evelyn retorted, noticing Parker’s twitching mouth. But with the institute’s regulations in place, he couldn’t openly defy her.
“Then it’s settled, nine months from now…”
Evelyn smiled satisfactorily, “Thank you, Minister Donovan.” She didn’t linger any longer and headed straight to Henry’s company to pick him up after work. He needed plenty of rest after his previous injury.
When she arrived, Henry had just finished a meeting and was buried in a pile of documents. From Evelyn’s perspective, all she could see clearly was his high nose bridge and the bright eyes beneath his long eyelashes.
“How long have you been working?” Evelyn frowned displeasedly, grabbing the pen from his hand.
“It will be done soon,” Henry reassured her, reaching out to pat her head, “David prepared a fruit platter, go have some.”
Evelyn frowned, dissatisfied with his attitude. Seeing Henry pick up his pen again, she swiftly slipped into his arms, “The fruit platter doesn’t taste good at all. You should taste better…”
Suddenly, Evelyn kissed him on the lips and then stared at him intently.
Henry’s Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably as he murmured, “My baby, you taste so sweet.” His voice deep and seductive, sending shivers down her spine.
She suspected Henry had been secretly reading some books to learn these flirtatious skills.
Evelyn licked her lips and then leaned down to nibble on Henry’s collarbone. Her teeth were sharp, causing a slight stinging sensation on his skin.
Henry furrowed his brow but didn’t move, allowing the girl to playfully tease him.
After she finished, Evelyn saw the deeper bite marks and felt a twinge of guilt, “Why didn’t you dodge? You’re so clumsy,” she whispered.
Henry chuckled softly, “Your look like a hungry little wolf cub. If I dodged, I might end up being devoured by you.”
Evelyn sighed inwardly, ‘This man, ever since he bought those unreliable books last time, he’s completely corrupted.’
…
Early the next morning, Evelyn descended the stairs to have breakfast, only to find a stranger sitting on the living room sofa.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Hector, a relatively unknown jewelry repairer. I was sent here to repair a ring by the boss this morning,” the man introduced himself.
Evelyn didn’t doubt his words. She went upstairs to fetch her grandmother’s damaged ring, “The ring band is completely broken.”
She took a bite of the bread, feeling fortunate that the gemstones were undamaged.
Hector didn’t seem concerned. He took the ring and examined it, his expression turning serious. Evelyn paused, asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Madam, where did this ring come from?” Hector inquired.
“It’s a family heirloom. Is there a problem?” Evelyn replied.
“This ring band is made of the latest precision synthetic material. As far as I know, it’s only available in the underground trade market in Memphis,” Hector explained.
The underground trade market, as the name suggests, is a shady place. If one were to describe it in one word, it would be chaotic. How could her grandmother, a businesswoman, be involved with the underground trade market?
Evelyn pondered for a moment before asking, “Do you have a way to find this material?”
Hector shook his head, “The material is scarce and only available in limited quantities. I can only try my luck regularly, and hopefully stumble upon it someday.”
Upon hearing this, Evelyn fell silent.
After a moment, Hector spoke up again, “If you are interested, I can accompany you on a trip to the underground trade market.”
Evelyn was skeptical. This guy was working for Henry, so how could Henry allow her to go to such a dangerous place?
“I’ll consider it,” she replied before heading upstairs to call Henry.
At that moment, the CEO Henry paused the meeting and answered the phone, “Hello dear…” He said, his voice carrying a gentle tone.
Sensing that he was in a good mood, Evelyn cautiously explained the situation and her desire to retrieve her grandmother’s ring, “The ring means a lot to me, and I really want to go. Can you send two people to protect me?”