There were always rumors outside that Bridger, known for his integrity and gentlemanly demeanor, avoided women because he was actually gay. Moreover, some gossip tabloids reported that someone had seen Bridger entering a gay bar.
The room was still dimly lit. Bridger, wearing only a shirt, shielded the frightened woman beneath him. “Get out!”
Nelson covered his face with his hand and only re-entered after seeing the woman run away without daring to look back. He took a deep breath. “Why did you bring her here?”
The lights came on brightly. Bridger stood up, calmly buttoning his shirt without a change in expression. “Are you secretly in love with me, Nelson? Do you have a problem?”
Nelson swallowed his frustration, staring tiredly at the man before him. He had to admit, Bridger’s looks and abilities were top-notch. Why on earth had he fallen for such an ordinary-looking woman, who was neither stunning nor remarkable?
Bridger seemed to read Nelson’s mind effortlessly and hit the nail on the head. “You better not make things difficult for her.”
Nelson rubbed his temples. For that woman to make this usually unemotional guy say such a thing, she must have truly moved him.
“Alright,” he got to the point, “there are many things you understand without me saying. This time, it was indeed Oconnor Group’s oversight that caused this mess. Thank you for making the trip.”
Bridger took three documents from the drawer and laid them out in front of Nelson. He spoke plainly, “This one is the funding from the branch. This one is mine personally. And this last one is from your grandfather.”
These three documents represented a huge amount of money.
Nelson looked down, understanding that they wanted to give him money to fiercely counter their opponent, the rude acquisition party.
After a long pause, he only took the Oconnor Group branch’s document. “This is as far as it goes. Even if they act arrogantly, they are now slowly falling into a passive position. I don’t need that much, and I don’t want you involved.”
He then picked up his grandfather’s document. “This one, I’ll keep as backup. Grandfather always cares for me.”
Bridger shrugged, showing his satisfaction.
After days of intense meetings and negotiations, even if Nelson were made of iron, he couldn’t help but feel exhausted.
He threw himself onto the bed and slept soundly through the night.
Before falling asleep, he checked his phone. Callie hadn’t called.
He hesitated about whether to call her to let her know he was safe, but if he did, his emotions wouldn’t be as stable.
So he left his phone screen on, the page open to his contacts until the battery slowly drained and the screen went black. Only then did Nelson give up and bury himself in the blankets for a deep sleep.
He slept through the night.
The next day was foggy outside. He was awakened by persistent knocking.
Nelson groggily opened the door, his face dark as Satan’s. “Who?”
The person was a slender woman in an Armani suit that made her look older than she was. She held a stack of documents and smiled slightly. “Mr. Oconnor.”
He squinted his eyes. “… Charlotte?”