“This doesn’t seem right.”
“It’s decided.”
Although Callie knew nothing about finance, she stayed on to help the team, working voluntarily without pay.
From that day on, she frequently received unknown food deliveries.
The team was very busy, and Callie practically lived in the office. When she was tired, she would sleep on the sofa. As soon as she woke up and saw the employees arriving, she would start the morning meeting. The food deliveries always arrived at this time, with breakfast being a simple porridge and side dishes, enough for everyone in the office.
Though simple, the food was surprisingly delicious and refreshing, earning praise from everyone.
They all thought Callie had ordered the food.
But one taste of it revealed it was the handiwork of the chef from Paucaster Villa Complex.
She remembered the cold expression of the man at the hospital yesterday. She threw her spoon into the bowl with a crisp sound and stopped eating.
To her surprise, it wasn’t just breakfast. Lunch and dinner also arrived punctually, along with afternoon tea, a bouquet of fresh flowers, and some medication. Everything was exquisitely prepared.
She expressed her thoughts through her actions, not touching or even looking at the food, throwing it all into the trash.
The delivery person looked distressed and quietly said to her, “Mrs. Oconnor, if you don’t eat, I can’t report back. My boss will scold me…”
Using the same tactic again.
Callie stubbornly continued her behavior.
Over time, not only did the employees notice something was off, but even Shamar asked, “Is there a man pursuing you, Callie?”
Callie rolled her eyes. “You’re overthinking it.”
She really wanted to confront that man. Her finger hovered over the dial pad but couldn’t press a single number.
She didn’t return to Paucaster Villa Complex either. When necessary, she went to the hospital and spent the night on the sofa in Reuben’s room.
The next day, Callie arrived late. She thought she had missed breakfast. But when she opened the door, the delivery person was standing at the entrance of the hospital room.
Callie felt like cursing.
People who aren’t fully recovered tend to have worse tempers. “Are you spying on me!”
The delivery person looked troubled. “Mrs. Oconnor, we’re just following orders.”
Callie didn’t look back. “Go tell your boss that if he really wants me to eat, he should deliver it himself.”
After informing Shamar about the acquisition amount, she began discussing her plan with Jaquan. “I have confirmed information that their acquisition funds are between one to two billion dollars. Shamar can only raise limited funds in the short term, leaving a gap of about one billion dollars.”
She paused briefly before continuing, “I want to borrow this money from you. Shamar has agreed to use all his Oconnor Group shares as collateral.”
Jaquan was making mango mousse with Karlie at that moment, his hands covered in flour. The phone was on speaker mode on the table.
He didn’t respond for a long time, and even Karlie, an outsider, could hear the urgency in Callie’s voice.
Finally finishing with the flour, Jaquan set it aside to rest and washed his hands before speaking. “You know that using the largest shares as collateral means winning big if successful. But if the counter-acquisition fails, do you realize what you’ll face?”
He said calmly, “If you fail, it won’t just be a matter of losing everything. These debts will be impossible for Shamar to repay in his lifetime. And if I were to betray you and side with the acquisition party, you’d quickly fall into my hands.”
“Are you sure you’ve thought this through, Callie?”