Chapter 288 Why Do You Do This?
That evening, as Gabriel was wrapping up work, he received an anonymous email with a few photos attached.
His grip on the mouse tightened to the point it seemed he might crush it as he viewed the contents of the email.
Meanwhile, at the Watson Group, Caroline hit a wall at the front desk.
"You can give Mr. Watson a call, he will see me," she insisted.
The receptionist remained expressionless, and said, "If I make that call for you, I might as well say goodbye to my job."
They encountered many such people every day, those without an appointment demanding to see the big boss. Usually, the higher-ups would send someone if a meeting was indeed sanctioned.
This woman was probably just trying to seduce their CEO.
Caroline turned away dejectedly. She couldn't let this man blacklist her without a reason. She just couldn't accept it.
"Caroline?" A familiar voice reached her ears, and Caroline looked up to see Ben Doolittle. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see Mr. Watson," Caroline said with a wry smile. "But without an appointment, I can't."
Ben Doolittle gave her an inquisitive look.
"Do you need to see Mr. Watson for something?" he asked.
At the last birthday celebration for his father, Lucy mentioned Caroline had kicked Nicholas's leg. Could it be that Nicholas was retaliating against Caroline now?
Caroline felt completely dispirited.
Seeing Ben Doolittle sparked a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Ben Doolittle, can you see Mr. Watson?" she asked.
Ben replied, "Yeah, I have an appointment with him today to discuss a partnership."
She requested, "Can you help me then? Take me in to see him."
"This..." Ben Doolittle was in a bind.
His father had insisted that he secure the partnership today. Nicholas was unpredictable, and prone to sudden mood swings. If Ben brought Caroline along, it might upset Nicholas and backfire on them both.
"Tell me what happened first," he urged.
Caroline, desperate, explained that Nicholas was trying to ruin her career.
Ben Doolittle was outraged.
Just because of a kick, Nicholas was prepared to destroy Caroline's livelihood—that was cruel and heartless.
No wonder his father had warned him to be extremely cautious when dealing with Nicholas—to not say a word out of line.
"I can't take you up there. I only scheduled an appointment for myself. They won't allow it if I try to add someone at the last minute."
The Watson Group's appointment policy was strict; the number of people scheduled was the number allowed, no more, no less.
Ben Doolittle watched the light fade from Caroline's eyes and hurriedly said, "I'll talk to Mr. Watson and see if he can give you a break."
That was all she could hope for, so Caroline nodded.
She said, "Thank you."
"No need to be so formal with me, I'm going upstairs now," Ben remarked.
She agreed, "Okay."
Caroline bit her lip, her fists clenched as she walked away.
She had come today to ask Nicholas what exactly he wanted. Did he want to drive her to her demise?
...
After Ben Doolittle finished presenting the proposal, he looked at Nicholas.
The meeting room fell suddenly quiet. Nicholas lightly tapped the armrest of his wheelchair.
"Leave the proposal with me, I'll take another look."
Ben felt a surge of hope—this was a good sign!
Nicholas’ assistant, Marlow Kurtz, picked up the proposal document.
As the business negotiations drew to a close, Ben Doolittle didn't forget to assist Caroline.
"Mr. Watson, I have a question."
"Speak," Nicholas said, sparing with his words.
"Why are you blacklisting Caroline? I heard she offended you at my father's party. I apologize on her behalf and hope you can be magnanimous and let her off the hook," Ben remarked.
"It's not easy for a woman to make it in America, and she's put in a lot of effort for her tour. One word from you and all her hard work is wasted; it's a massive blow to her," he added.
Nicholas's expression grew grimmer. He looked sideways at Ben Doolittle with a mocking smile on his lips.
"Did she ask you to plead for her?" he asked.
Ben replied, "No, I just saw her downstairs when I came up. She couldn't get in without an appointment."
"Are the two of you close?" Nicholas probed.
Ben responded, "We're friends."
‘Friends, huh?’ Nicholas thought.
He then glanced at Ben Doolittle with a chilly gaze.
"Out of respect for CEO Doolittle, I'll give you a piece of advice. Better stay away from that woman, or you might end up regretting it when your legs get broken."
Ben Doolittle was puzzled; he sensed that Nicholas harbored a deep animosity toward Caroline.
"Mr. Watson." Ben Doolittle tried to say something more as Nicholas began to leave.
Nicholas didn't instruct Marlow Kurtz to stop. Marlow Kurtz escorted Nicholas away.
Ben Doolittle sighed. It seemed he hadn't been able to help Caroline after all.
Returning to the office, Nicholas wore his usual expressionless face, but Marlow Kurtz could feel that the boss was in a foul mood.
The atmosphere in the office was oppressive, the air feeling thinner than usual.
After a while, Nicholas picked up his desk phone and called the receptionist.
"Let someone named Caroline come up next time she's here."
The receptionist replied sharply, "Yes, sir!"
Marlow Kurtz was bewildered.
He couldn't understand what his boss was thinking. Nicholas despised Ms. Anne, almost to the point of wishing harm upon her, yet he forbade any hurt coming her way, and now he was instructing the receptionist to allow her into the building in the future.
What was going through the boss's mind?
It was just too contradictory!
Caroline returned to the preschool, where Josie hurried over to find her.
"Ms. Roberts, is Emma feeling any better?" Josie had been concerned about her good friend Emma, who, according to what she heard from Ethan, had been hurt by some bad people and had even undergone surgery.
The thought of surgery scared Josie; it was particularly frightening.
"Emma's been discharged; she's resting at home," Caroline said with a complicated look as she gazed at Josie.
How could someone as cold and heartless as Nicholas have such a kind and adorable child?
"Ms. Roberts, can you take me to see Emma? I miss her a lot," she pleaded.
Caroline agreed, "Sure, I can take you after school."
"No, we can't wait until after school," Josie said, adamantly.
"Hmm?" Caroline was puzzled.
Josie hesitated, "My mom won't let me go. Can you sneak me there without letting my mom know?"
"Why wouldn't she let you visit a classmate?" Caroline queried.
Josie explained, "I don't know; it seems like my mom doesn't like me playing with Emma."
Caroline hesitated. She didn't want to stir trouble with Daisy and Nicholas because they both were unpredictable.
But Josie's pleading, and her genuine worry for Emma, shook Caroline's resolve.
"Ms. Roberts, just take me quietly. I'll come right back after I see Emma's okay," she pleaded again.
Caroline's heart softened under Josie's gentle insistence. She should be able to return Josie before the end of school without a problem.
After notifying the lead teacher, Caroline took Josie to the Lancaster family's estate to visit Emma.
Ethan and Sam hadn't gone to preschool that day.
With Emma bored at home alone, Ethan and Sam had stayed to keep her company, playing video games and doing some live streaming.
Gabriel was gifting even more generously in the stream. But since he was busy while Emma was streaming, he had Alex manage the gift-giving in his stead.
Emma saw Josie and excitedly hugged her friend.
"Emma, are you all better now?" Josie asked with concern.
Emma replied, energetically, "I'm better now, but I still can't go to school."
The two little ones had endless conversations, and Mrs. Lancaster watched them with a smile, gesturing for Caroline to sit down.
Madam said, "This child is quite well-mannered and she gets along with Emma."
Caroline agreed, "Yes, she does."
Madam Lancaster started chatting with Caroline about the experiences of raising children.
Suddenly, Caroline's cell phone rang, and she stepped aside to answer the call.
The anxious voice of the head teacher came through.
"Roberts, you need to bring Josie back. Her mother has arrived and is causing a scene in the director's office."
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