Chapter 156 The Engagement Was Nullified
"James, when's the investor going to show up?" Laura asked.
Nancy had the contract ready, just waiting for James to bring the investors so they could finalize the shares.
Nancy shot a hopeful glance at James, clearly anxious—James was their last hope.
"The investor isn't in Lumina City right now. I'd estimate they won't arrive until tomorrow," James said, his face showing a touch of awkwardness as he spoke to Laura and Nancy.
"Not until tomorrow?" Nancy was stunned.
Laura, on the other hand, shook her head in disappointment. Deep down, she had already suspected this would be the outcome. James was nothing more than a delivery guy with no money or connections—of course, he wouldn't know any real investors.
Donovan, sitting nearby, sneered. "What a coincidence, huh? You probably don't know any investors at all!"
James shot Donovan a cold glance, his expression unchanging. "Even though the investor isn't here today, they'll definitely make it by tomorrow morning."
"Still bragging, huh?" Donovan stood up and walked over. "Why not just admit you can't find any investors?"
"Laura, why did you choose such a loser as your fiancé?" a middle-aged man chimed in. "He's useless, has no skills, and just brags. Our company is in a financial crisis, and besides Donovan, no one else would invest! If he finds an investor, I'll kneel and kowtow right now!"
As soon as the shareholders in the conference room learned that James hadn't found an investor, laughter began to ripple through the room. Everyone looked at James as if he were a complete fool.
Laura, disappointed, told James, "Just leave."
"Laura, I..." James tried to explain.
"Enough. I should've known you didn't know any investors. Why lie to me? Do you think it's fun?" Laura said coldly.
"The investor went to Nova Cresta today," James said, his voice trembling.
James might not care much about what others thought of him, but he hadn't expected Laura to view him this way too.
"Enough, James. You've really disappointed me!" Laura shouted.
The room fell silent. Everyone's mouths dropped open in shock as they looked at Laura, stunned by the sight of her usually composed demeanor breaking into such anger.
"James, you've really disappointed me. I thought, despite your financial struggles, you had a decent character and were sincere. But now, it's clear you've been lying to me repeatedly. Do you find this amusing?" Laura said coldly, walking up to him.
"I..." James started.
"What do you want to say?" Laura cut him off. "Our engagement is off. My company is going bankrupt, and I'll be in debt. I don't mind taking on my father's company's debt too. Even if I end up in jail, I won't marry someone like you!"
"You want to call off our engagement?" James was stunned.
"Yes, I do." Laura nodded firmly.
Laura had initially been forced into this engagement due to financial troubles at her father's company. Although she had made James agree to three conditions—essentially a marriage in name only, with both of them free to live their own lives—Laura had only spoken those terms to placate the situation. Deep down, a woman like her couldn't truly accept the idea of being married while being involved with others.
Over the past few weeks, Laura had been discreetly investigating James, trying to understand and perhaps accept him. Through her research, she had come to see that apart from his financial issues, James wasn't actually a bad person.
That was why she had invited James to her company today, intending to get married and then have him move into her house. While she wasn't ready to share a bed with him right away, she thought she could let him stay in another room and gradually get to know him. Perhaps, in time, she might come to accept him.
But Laura never expected things would turn out like this. Even if James had said nothing and done nothing today, she wouldn't have been this angry. She knew he had no real influence over these matters.
Now, Laura would rather shoulder massive debts and face the risk of imprisonment than spend a lifetime with someone like James.
James looked at Laura with a mixture of confusion and hurt, unable to believe how things had spiraled out of control.
"Are you sure you want to call off our engagement?" James asked quietly.
"Yes, you've really disappointed me today. It's over," Laura replied firmly.
James hesitated for a moment. He wanted to leave, but he knew that if he did, he'd lose the right to inherit a trillion-dollar fortune. Losing everything over this small matter felt unbearable.
