Chapter 269: Following the Clues
Jerry was fuming.
Heather claimed she didn't know Hope?
During the ID check on Hope, Heather and her team had handled part of the investigation.
They had as much info on Hope as Jerry did.
Following the clues, Jerry recalled the last misunderstanding with Hope because of Steven's delayed info.
Was it really a delay, or was it on purpose?
Heather was in charge of that, so it couldn't be Steven behind it.
But they'd been with Jerry for over a decade. Jerry wondered if he had given them too much power, and now they even dared to mess with Hope.
Hearing this, Steven's suspicions grew. He hesitated but finally spoke up, "About the investigation on Ms. Royston, I wasn't sure about some info, so I held back part of it."
Steven didn't know why Jerry brought this up now, but he chose to cover for Heather. After all, he had slept with Heather.
If Jerry found out Heather did it on purpose, she'd be done for.
Jerry's eyes grew colder, clearly not buying it, and he lost patience. He asked directly, "Do you know why, even though I knew you liked Heather, I still let you two work together?"
Steven was startled. He hadn't expected Jerry to know his feelings for Heather, and he couldn't come up with a lie to cover it.
The office was icy, but Steven's forehead was sweating. Although he commanded respect from everyone outside, he chose to knee at this moment.
"Jerry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have..."
He shouldn't have covered for Heather time and time again. But he couldn't say it. Jerry had never been lenient with traitors.
Jerry stood leaning against his desk, fingers tapping rhythmically. He stared at Steven for a few seconds, then reached for the phone.
The receptionist at Apex Technologies answered quickly, "Mr. Hammer!"
Jerry spoke calmly, "Connect me to Heather."
"Yes, Mr. Hammer."
After a brief moment, the call connected to Heather. Her tone was as calm as usual. "Jerry, what's up?"
Jerry instructed, "Come to the Hammer Group."
Heather sensed a subtle change in Jerry's tone and immediately got up, "Okay. I'm on my way."
On her way to the Hammer Group, she felt uneasy and decided to call Steven to find out what was going on.
Steven's phone vibrated continuously in his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID, his hand trembling. He wanted to reject the call but didn't dare to under Jerry's watchful eyes.
Jerry looked at him leisurely and smiled, "Is there something else you're hiding from me? Put it on speaker."
"No! I'm not hiding anything." Steven denied and then reluctantly answered the call, "Hello, I'm at..."
He wanted to hint at his location but was interrupted by Heather. "Steven, I don't care what you're doing. Just tell me, do you know if something happened to Jerry?"
Heather's tone wasn't pleasant. Ever since Steven had slept with her and then handed the info to Jerry, she had been very displeased with Steven.
Steven replied, "Jerry is fine."
Heather asked again, "Really?"
"Yes."
Heather was puzzled. "Jerry just called me, and his voice didn't sound right. Where are you?"
Steven said, "The Hammer Group."
"Aren't you supposed to be on a business trip? Why did you come back early?"
Heather's tone suddenly changed. "Did you go and tell Jerry that I did it on purpose last time?"
Steven broke into a cold sweat for Heather, not knowing what to say.
Heather wanted to say more, but the call was already disconnected.
When she arrived at the office and knocked on the door, she saw Steven kneeling on the ground, and her heart sank.
Jerry leaned against his desk, looking at her with disappointment. He said coldly, "Norlandia branch needs a deputy general manager. Hand over your current work and report there as soon as possible."
Heather's legs went weak. Norlandia was so far away; it meant she was no longer Jerry's most trusted assistant.
Heather's eyes turned red behind her black-framed glasses. "You're sending me away? Why?"
Was it just because she targeted Hope once? Just because of a few words she hadsaid at lunch that weren't even that harsh?
Jerry's expression was indifferent, and his words were harsher. "I don't need people who don't know their place around me."
"I..."
Heather, who usually cared a lot about her image, felt a chill run through her body. Her lips were bitten until they bled. Suddenly, she was tired and didn't want to pretend anymore. She shed her usual calm demeanor in front of Jerry and asked emotionally, "What did I do?"
Steven was shocked and tried to pull her back.
But Heather shook him off, tears streaming down her face. "Jerry, I've been by your side for so many years. Even if I haven't achieved much, I've worked hard. Are you going to erase everything just because of a few words I said?"
Jerry wasn't the type to show mercy. His lips curved into a sharp, cold smile. "If I really erase everything, would you still be here talking to me?"
Steven saw the murderous intent in his eyes.
Before he could react, Heather broke down. "So, it's really just because of those few words I said to Ms. Royston?"
"Do you think that's not enough?" Jerry sneered, sending chills down their spines.
Heather immediately understood what Jerry meant.
She didn't dare to look at Jerry's cold, chilling eyes anymore and earnestly agreed, "I'll go to Norlandia as you wish."
She had been too presumptuous! She had thought that being by Jerry's side for so many years would make her different from other women. She even had the audacity to think she could compete with Hope. What a grave mistake.
Even just withholding some information and saying a few things that upset Hope, Jerry had to make a big deal out of it.
Steven had been kneeling to admit his mistake, and she had been directly sent to Norlandia.
Heather finally realized Hope's place in Jerry's heart.
Jerry could be humiliated, but Hope could not.
After Heather left the office, Steven was still kneeling. "Jerry, thank you!"
Jerry smirked, "Thank me? Aren't you mad that I sent your beloved to Norlandia?"
Steven's greatest strength was his clear judgment. He shook his head. "I know you've already spared her."
Originally, he had thought Heather would at least be kicked out of the company.
Now, she was just going to Norlandia and still under Jerry's command, which was already very lenient.
Jerry didn't deny it. "Aren't you leaving?"
Steven was confused.
Jerry had punished Heather but hadn't punished him yet.
Jerry glared at him. "Don't let it happen again. Otherwise, you just fuck off."
"Yes, thank you, Jerry!"
Steven breathed a sigh of relief. He got up and looked at Jerry. "Don't worry, I won't ever let you down like that again."
Jerry raised his hand slightly. "Get out."
Steven quickly followed. Heather had just started her car to leave when Steven grabbed her lowered window. "Heather, I need to talk to you."
Heather wiped her tears. "If you're going to say I should have listened to you, then shut up."
"No." Steven leaned in, looking at her through the window. "Heather, I won't sleep with anyone else. I'll wait for you to come back."
Heather sneered, "Wait for me to come back? If you were really sincere, why don't you go to Norlandia with me?"
Steven frowned. "I can't leave Jerry."
That night, Elissa had a drink meeting with a client and dropped me off at my apartment before leaving.
I went upstairs alone and saw a middle-aged woman waiting outside my door, holding two large bags filled with fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs.
She quickly approached me. "Are you Ms. Royston?"
I was slightly taken aback. "And you are?"
"My name is Ellen Griffin. Mr. Hammer sent me to take care of you."
Perhaps sensing my hesitation, she added, "Don't worry, I won't disturb you. I'll just prepare three meals a day and clean up before I leave."
I repeated. "Jerry sent you?"
Ellen smiled. "Yes. Jerry cares about you. He sounded different when he called me."
It was clear that Ellen was an old acquaintance of the Hammer family and had a close relationship with Jerry.
As I opened the door, I said, "Please come in. I'll register your fingerprint later so you can come and go easily."
Once inside, Ellen went straight to the kitchen and started working methodically.
I went to my bedroom to take a shower. Afterward, while doing my skincare routine, I picked up my phone and called Jerry.
Jerry answered quickly, his tone affectionate. "What's wrong?"
I couldn't help but smile, my earlier gloominess dissipating. "Mr. Hammer, thank you."
He chuckled, "Thank me for what?"
I said, "Ellen."
He asked, "Do you really want to thank me?"
I laughed and asked back, "What do you think?"
Jerry teased, "If you really want to thank me, come open the door for me."
"What?"
I was momentarily stunned. Half-believing, I opened my front door and saw Jerry leaning against the wall.
He raised an eyebrow and lazily said, "You're all showered up?"
"Yeah." I grabbed his hand. "Why did you suddenly get Ellen to take care of me?"
He looked at me for a long time, then sighed and pulled me into his arms. "I can't stand seeing you being so considerate. It makes me feel terrible."
I looked up at his chin. "Terrible?"
"Here." Jerry took my hand and placed it on his chest, his voice low. "Hope, I don't need you to be gentle and considerate. I don't need you to do anything. Just love me, and that's enough. I'll handle the rest."
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