Since the morning, Edward had been busy dealing with a pile of files on his desk. Nicholas had warned him several times to take a break and rest for a while, fearing that his boss would exhaust himself and face fatal consequences.
However, being the hard worker that he was, Edward was determined not to stop until he finished what he was working on. He continued to focus until Ariana entered the room to inform him of something.
“What is it, Ariana? Is there another file I need to check?” Edward asked without even turning his head.
Ariana smiled faintly and responded politely, “I’m sorry, Mister, I’m interrupting your activities. But there’s someone outside who wants to meet you.”
Edward lifted his face, looking at his secretary with a questioning expression. “Who else wants to meet me this time?”
“A man, Mister,” Ariana replied, waiting for her boss’s response. “His name is Samuel.”
Edward’s eyebrows almost touched. He briefly wondered why Chloe’s assistant suddenly came to visit. Intrigued, he responded, “Tell him to come in.”
Ariana nodded in understanding, turned around, and walked away to call the guest who was waiting outside. With grace, the tall woman led Samuel into the room and invited him to face Edward.
“Sam…” Edward greeted politely. “Please, have a seat,” he commanded, gesturing for the guest to take a seat. “What brings you here all of a sudden? Does my wife want me to give you something?”
Samuel pulled a chair that was positioned directly opposite Edward and sat down. Then, he answered the CEO of Quantum, “First of all, I apologize for interrupting your activities. But there’s something important I need to tell you.”
Edward’s forehead creased. “What important matter do you mean?” He shifted his sitting position, leaning forward and resting both arms on the table, deliberately getting closer to Samuel. “Does this have something to do with Chloe?”
Samuel took a deep breath. Nervousness engulfed him as he struggled to figure out where to start the conversation.
“Yes, Mister,” he stammered. “What I’m going to say is related to your wife and your cousin.”
Edward’s facial expression immediately showed confusion. “Cousin? What do you mean? Come on, Samuel, don’t beat around the bush. You’re making me curious. Just so you know, I hate people who give half-hearted information like this.”
In that instant, Samuel knew that Edward was very curious about the information he was about to reveal. A little nervous, he lifted his face and began to talk about the reason that brought him to the Quantum building.
“Yes… it’s about your cousin, Mr. Damian Dimitri, who suddenly approached Mrs. Chloe to collaborate. He even offered many benefits if—”
“Wait a minute,” Edward quickly interrupted. “You mean, Damian Dimitri intentionally met Chloe?”
Samuel nodded with full assurance. He believed that he should tell everything today.
“Not just once. I think it’s been more than twice. And the topic of their conversation always seemed the same. I’m not sure how it started, but Mr. Damian mentioned that Chloe and he have the same goal.”
Edward smiled grimly. He knew that Damian didn’t like him. That man had caused many disturbances in an attempt to undermine Edward’s credibility. Unfortunately, he had always failed. And now, that guy dared to approach his wife. How audacious!
“But Chloe refused Damian’s offer, right?” Edward asked.
Samuel winced. Unfortunately, he couldn’t confirm whether Chloe agreed or declined Damian’s proposal some time ago.
“Regrettably, I can’t be certain about that, Mister.” Samuel’s face looked distressed, showing regret. “That’s why I came to meet you, to warn you to be careful.”
Edward nodded in understanding. Before he could respond, Samuel continued speaking.
“Truly, I just don’t want Mrs. Chloe to get involved in many problems. She has already faced enough challenges over the past few years.”
Edward pulled a thoughtful expression. One of his eyebrows lifted upon hearing what Samuel had just said. Yes, now he was curious.
“What problems is Chloe actually facing? Really, that woman has made me so curious all this time.”
Samuel closed his eyes for a moment, weighing whether he needed to tell Edward everything without exception. To reveal the reasons why Chloe had been so resentful of the man before him.
“By God, I’m confused about where to start. But I will try to tell you the essence of everything,” Samuel took repeated breaths to calm his nerves that had once overwhelmed him. He convinced himself that his actions were right and appropriate. “Actually, your meeting with Mrs. Chloe was not a coincidence, Mister.”
“What?!” Edward exclaimed.
Samuel nodded rhythmically. “Mrs. Chloe deliberately trapped you, slept with you some time ago for a specific purpose.”
Edward sharpened his hearing, digesting each word uttered by his wife’s assistant.
“So, you mean all of this was planned? But for what?” he asked, perplexed.
Samuel seemed to reach for his cell phone from his suit pocket. He swiped the screen, opening the gallery, and showed a picture to Edward.
“Beforehand, I apologize if I’m being impudent. But may I ask, do you know the woman in this photo?”
Edward leaned forward, examining the picture that Samuel presented to him. He shook his head repeatedly.
“Sorry, but I don’t know her,” he said firmly without a hint of doubt.
Samuel seemed to double-check, changing the photo to another image.
“Take a good look at this woman.”
Edward complied, scrutinizing each picture Samuel showed. Once again, he shook his head.
“By God, Sam. I don’t know who this woman is that you’re asking about. I’ve never seen her before.”
Samuel stared closely at Edward. The look in the man’s eyes indicated that he genuinely had no idea who the woman in the photo was.
“I’m also sure that you’re not involved in this matter,” Samuel said softly, leaving Edward even more curious.
“Goodness, Sam!” he exclaimed. “I’ve said it before; I hate people who give half-hearted information like this.”
Samuel nodded in understanding and took a slow breath before continuing to speak.
“This…,” he pointed to the woman in the picture on his phone. “Is Nathalie Arley, Mrs. Chloe’s biological sister.”
Edward nodded.
“So, what does Chloe’s sister have to do with me?”