Chapter 157 I'll Bear It Alone
"Why are you doing this?" James asked Laura, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Because you lied to me today. I won't marry a liar!" she shot back.
"What if I didn't lie?" James countered.
Laura stared at James, momentarily stunned.
"The investor's coming tomorrow. Give me one day. If they don't show, I'll call off the engagement myself. Deal?" James asked seriously.
Laura stayed silent.
Seeing this, James grabbed the contract from Nancy and slammed it on the table. "Didn't you all say you wanted out? Sign this and leave!"
"Who do you think you are? What if we sign and you don't pay us? Who do we go to then?" one shareholder sneered.
"Come tomorrow morning for your severance. If Laura can't pay, I will!" James shouted.
"You? A bartender? Do you even know how much money we're talking about?" a middle-aged man scoffed.
James, losing his cool, yelled, "I said I'd pay, and I will. Sign or get out!"
The room fell silent as James's outburst stunned everyone. They all turned to look at Donovan, seeking some direction.
After a pause, Donovan squinted at James. "What if you can't pay tomorrow?"
"I'll be here," James said calmly.
Donovan smirked. "Alright, we'll be here for the money. If you can't pay, get ready to be sued!"
Donovan saw this as a win-win. In fact, even if James ran away tomorrow, Donovan wouldn't be concerned. If James bailed, Laura would be even more disappointed.
"Donovan, should we sign?" the shareholders asked, confused.
"Sign it, of course! Not only do you need to sign, but you also need to include a clause stating that if Laura can't cover the severance, James will be responsible. We'll also need James' signature and fingerprints to make it legally binding!" Donovan replied with a cold smirk.
The shareholders took up their pens and began signing the contract, adding the additional clause as Donovan had instructed.
Donovan agreed to James's request for a simple reason: he knew James didn't have the funds to cover the severance. Once the contract was signed, if no investors came through for Laura's company by tomorrow, both Laura and James would be hit with hefty severance payments.
Donovan also knew that James couldn't come up with that kind of money either. If the shareholders sued James, he'd end up in jail. With James out of the picture, Donovan could swoop in and win Laura over.
"James, we signed. Now it's your turn!" The middle-aged man tossed the contract at James, sneering.
James hesitated, then reached for the contract.
"James." Laura tried to stop him, seeing he was serious about signing.
James turned to give Laura a fleeting glance, but said nothing. He picked up the pen, ready to scrawl his name.
"James, do you know what this means?" Laura's voice was filled with urgency and frustration. She knew exactly what Donovan was up to and was visibly distressed.
"Yeah, I know. But tomorrow morning, someone will invest in your company. If not, I'll cancel the engagement and find a way to pay the severance myself," James replied calmly, signing his name.
Laura took a deep breath, staring at James with shock. She couldn't fathom why he was doing this. What gave him the confidence to sign his name?
She thought, 'Could it be that James isn't lying? Does he really have a chance to find investors?'
James finished signing and pressed his fingerprint on the contract.
"I've signed it!" James tossed the contract back to the middle-aged man.
The man checked it, then turned to Donovan. "Donovan, it's all good!"
"Great, see you tomorrow!" Donovan smirked and left the room, followed by the others.
Now, only James, Laura, and Nancy remained.
Laura grabbed the contract, puzzled. "James, do you know what signing this means?"
"Yeah, I know. I'll bring the investor tomorrow, don't worry," James said calmly.
"James, why are you still pretending? Even if you bring someone, they might not invest!" Laura shouted, clearly upset.
"Yeah, why drag my cousin into this?" Nancy added, pouting.
"If I can't find an investor tomorrow, I'll cancel the engagement and handle the severance myself. It won't affect you," James said calmly.
"James, you..."
Laura started, but James left the conference room without another word.
