Chapter 115 Ask Your Own Wife
Nathaniel remained unmoved, confronting Chelsea's questioning.
"Chelsea, before questioning me, you should ask yourself first. Did you work so hard to get here to plagiarize a piece for me? The Heilbronn Group does not need plagiarism, nor does it stoop to such despicable tactics. Reflect on this: how would you feel if one day your own completed design was published under someone else's name?"
Chelsea cried even harder, not believing she had done anything wrong.
"Nathaniel, why are you siding with others? We've known each other for over a decade!"
"Chelsea, let's be logical. We are discussing plagiarism now, which crosses my bottom line. Why did you plagiarize?" Nathaniel tried to reason with her.
"So, are you rejecting me? I've tarnished the Heilbronn Group. I'm sorry," Chelsea said.
Nathaniel fell silent.
The two of them couldn't communicate properly at all.
Chelsea's face was stained with tears, her eyeliner smudged, making her look like a panda.
Nathaniel didn't dare to speak harshly; he continued to reason with her, fearing she might resort to her old tricks, either attempting suicide or having a heart attack.
"Go wash your face first, and I'll have Zack take you home. Stay away from online for the next few days, and try not to go out. Wait for things to settle down."
With the current frenzy of netizens, since Chelsea's plagiarism had been proven, Nathaniel couldn't imagine what she would face. He could only advise her to stay indoors, avoid the internet, and get plenty of sleep.
Chelsea was still immersed in her resentment and anger towards Nathaniel for abandoning her. "I'm not leaving. I want an explanation."
Nathaniel was somewhat speechless.
"Chelsea, think about the cause of this incident. My trust in you is based on your loyalty to me. By plagiarizing, you've already betrayed the Heilbronn Group. The entire group won't accompany you in going crazy. Your dismissing is the result of your actions, and you can't blame others."
With tear-stained eyes, Chelsea stared at Nathaniel. "So, you don't accept me in everything, do you? You don't tolerate me either, do you?"
For the first time, Nathaniel felt that their values were incompatible. At this point, she was still blaming others and hadn't realized her own mistakes. They couldn't communicate at all.
"Chelsea, go back for now. I'm very busy here," Nathaniel said.
He had run out of patience to continue the conversation. She needed time to think things through.
A person pretending to be asleep couldn't be awakened.
Chelsea saw Nathaniel burying his head in the documents again, treating her as if she were invisible. She calmed her emotions, realizing that Nathaniel truly despised her, not even bothering to comfort her.
She placed the bento box on his desk.
"Nathaniel, have this for lunch. If you like it, I'll make it again."
Nathaniel paused with the pen in his hand, lifting his eyes to look at the pink box on the table.
"Take it away. I have lunch plans with Mr. Baker. Stay put for a while. Order groceries and daily necessities online. If there's anything else you need, I'll have my assistant send it to you."
Chelsea's fingers curled a few times as she took back the rejected bento box, feeling desolate.
She went to the restroom and saw her tear-streaked, sorrowful face in the mirror. Chelsea realized how disheveled she looked compared to how beautiful she had been when she left in the morning.
She wandered through the building, once praised by colleagues, now the focal point of everyone's disdain.
Hostile gazes were directed at her from all directions. She didn't even dare to return to the design department to pack up the items left in the drawer. She could only hold her pride, unable to accept being chased like a rat.
People who used to follow her every command now spoke coldly to her, eager to insult her.
The immense psychological gap made her feel suffocated. What hurt the most was that the person she relied on the most could help her out of this difficulty but chose not to, allowing her to be pointed at by colleagues and cursed by netizens.
Ignoring Nathaniel's advice to have Zack take her home, she now felt Zack didn't even look at her properly. There was no point in going to an assistant to be disappointed; Zack was just Nathaniel's assistant and had no right to treat her badly.
Besides, she had her car.
Chelsea arrived at the underground parking lot and was immediately splashed with an unknown liquid as soon as she stepped out of the elevator.
She screamed and was then subjected to a beating.
Meanwhile, Aurelia had been living peacefully in Silvershore Falls these past few days. In the morning, she accompanied Reed to a musical, and in the afternoon, she returned to the villa, planning to make seafood cheese soup.
Reed appreciated her cooking skills, and she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, fulfilling her duty as a member of the younger generation. She remembered all the kindness Grandpa Reed had shown her.
As for the future, no one could predict.
Reed returned after changing his clothes and saw Aurelia bustling in the kitchen, her hair tied up, wearing an apron, and a few servants assisting her.
Watching the girl cooking, Reed felt proud. He thought about his grandson, who only knew how to boss around people in the company. He thought it was a pity that such a good daughter-in-law had ended up with his grandson, such a scoundrel of a man.
Despite his thoughts, he still wanted that scoundrel to come pick up Aurelia. The two had only been married for three years, a time of deep affection, and Reed couldn't have Aurelia by his side every day. If things continued like this, he wouldn't even have a great-grandchildren before he passed away, which would be more distressing than the company going bankrupt.
While he was pondering, Nathaniel's call came.
As soon as the call connected, Nathaniel went straight to the point, "Grandpa, when are you coming back to Imperick?"
Reed realized his grandson was still testing him. Was it so difficult to call his wife and ask when she would return?
Nathaniel was still too young.
"I don't plan to go back for now. I'm doing fine here. I can wake up by the sea, enjoy freshly caught seafood, play chess every day, and, oh, Aurelia is here to keep me company in case I feel bored without her."
Nathaniel pondered for a while and finally couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, may I borrow your daughter-in-law for a few days? I need her for company business."
Reed sneered, thinking, 'Is it so difficult to admit that you want your wife back?'
"Is it you who needs her, or is it the company?"
"The company," Nathaniel replied.
Reed became displeased upon hearing this. "When I let Aurelia join the Heilbronn Group, you were the first to oppose it. You said her professionalism was lacking, and she could only draw randomly."
Aurelia walked out of the kitchen with the dish and happened to hear this last sentence.
"Grandpa, who can only draw randomly?"
Reed quickly explained, "Nobody, I'm on the phone."
Aurelia acknowledged and returned to the kitchen.
On the other end of the call, Nathaniel realized his grandpa was upset with him.
"Grandpa, I'm not joking. Please have her come back soon."
Reed answered seriously, "Aurelia is your wife with her ideas. If you want her to return, ask for her opinion, not mine. If you hadn'tupset her, she wouldn't have followed me here. You figure out how to coax her back; don't expect shortcuts from me. It's your life together, and I won't be able to accompany you for many more years."
Nathaniel hung up and leaned back in his leather chair, wiping his forehead.
He had expected to hear something from his grandpa, but it didn't work; instead, he received a scolding. Reed wasn't favoring his grandson at all.
The woman who left home without a word had successfully had Reed on her side. Nathaniel felt a bit speechless, and it seemed impossible to communicate with anyone today; no one was being reasonable.
Zack entered the room and said, "Mr. Heilbronn, what should we do about next week's quarterly press conference? We urgently need new pieces to showcase."
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