Callie put her hand in her coat pocket and smiled faintly. “I’m leaving.”
A man in a cotton shirt stood with his hands behind his back on the porch, watching the car carrying Callie drive away until it disappeared. The tenderness in his eyes slowly faded, and he became the cold Nelson again.
He sat at the table and continued eating his unfinished breakfast leisurely, asking his secretary on the phone, “What’s the schedule for this morning?”
“You have a meeting to discuss the board members for the newly listed company under Oconnor Group, and you also need to meet with the Chief Intellectual Property Officer.”
“Push it to the afternoon.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Scott Group’s bidding was scheduled for the morning, held on the tenth floor of a hotel.
Callie attended on behalf of Scott Group. While waiting, she received a call.
It was Marilyn. “I heard your father woke up.”
Marilyn was indeed well-informed. Callie remained calm. “I didn’t expect Miss Ellison to be so concerned about my father. Yes, he woke up.”
Marilyn seemed to be playing with something; there was a sound of hard objects clashing. “Nelson went to the hospital to see your father. The news was so well-kept. Are you afraid of someone finding out?”
“Because Grandfather doesn’t know yet. If he knew, he would urge us to get married.” Callie ignored her insinuations and brushed it off simply.
“Is that so? You’ve thought it through.” Marilyn sneered. “But now that your father is awake, there’s no need to rely on Nelson anymore. Isn’t it the perfect time to withdraw? Miss Marsh, are you too deep into the role to get out?”
This statement froze Callie in place. She gripped the project book tightly and said after a moment, “Miss Ellison, can you guess where I am right now?”
Marilyn didn’t respond.
“I’m bidding on behalf of Jaquan.”
One sentence clarified their relationship. Her helping him meant she was opposing Nelson. Marilyn was smart and quickly understood.
“Don’t let me down, or I can’t guarantee I won’t do something drastic.”
The call ended, and Callie broke out in a cold sweat.
Reuben had woken up, but she still didn’t dare to relax. Nelson was too unpredictable, Jaquan too cunning, and Marilyn couldn’t be trusted either. None of them could absolutely guarantee her safety. She had to get Reuben out of Ylosea to be completely at ease.
The tenth-floor conference room had floor-to-ceiling windows. Nelson stood outside, easily observing Callie’s actions. Watching her confidently take the stage with every smile and gesture, he looked satisfied.
It was an ordinary bidding session, but unexpectedly, Mr. Oconnor from Oconnor Group showed up. Many people were surprised and couldn’t suppress their curiosity, causing a commotion. The secretary stopped them. “Mr. Oconnor is busy; please don’t leave a bad impression on him.”
Inside, it was Callie’s turn to speak. She stepped onto the stage, handed over the bid document, and explained Scott Group’s position clearly and with an appropriate smile. No one would suspect she was a newcomer to the workplace.
At this moment, someone inside recognized Nelson and hurriedly ran out to inquire, “Mr. Oconnor?”
Nelson raised his hand. “Don’t mind me; I’m just passing by.”
The secretary had many thoughts internally; pushing off all morning’s work must mean he came specifically for this.
“Do your job fairly and justly.” Nelson coughed lightly with his fist to his lips as his private phone rang.
It was Ahmad.
Nelson sensed something was wrong and glanced at Callie inside before turning to find a quiet place.
The boss returned to the conference room and discussed with colleagues behind closed doors.
Callie took this opportunity to step out for some fresh air and unintentionally saw a figure that looked particularly like Nelson. When she looked again, the figure was gone.