Chapter 160 Did you Find an Investor or Not?
Everyone was stunned when they saw who walked in.
"James?" Donovan's eyes widened in shock. He never thought James would actually show up today.
Laura, too, looked at James with astonishment. Just moments ago, she had been resigned to the fact that James wasn't coming and was preparing to agree to Donovan's proposal. But here James was, against all odds.
"Don't you need my consent to cancel our engagement?" James asked Laura calmly.
"James..." Laura's heart was a whirlwind of emotions as she faced him, unsure how to respond.
Before she could respond, Nancy pointed at James and snapped, "James, you promised Laura you'd bring an investor. Where is this investor?"
"I wasn't talking to you," James replied flatly.
Nancy glared at him. "Don't give me that. You said if you didn't find an investor today, you'd cancel the engagement. Where's the investor?"
Donovan chimed in with a smirk, "James, you should back off. If Laura's with me, she won't have to worry about money. I can cover the severance pay today, so you won't have to. Otherwise, with your finances, you'll be paying it off forever!"
"My fiancée's matters are none of your business," James shot back coldly.
Donovan was momentarily stunned by James's words. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "James, don't push your luck. Right now, canceling the engagement with Laura is your best bet. Otherwise, according to the contract you signed yesterday, if Laura can't cover the severance pay, you'll be on the hook for it!"
"Who said she can't pay it?" James replied calmly.
Donovan was stunned.
Laura quickly approached James, puzzled. "James, what do you mean? Did you find an investor?"
Hope flared up in Laura's heart again. If James hadn't found the investors, there would be no reason for him to show up and face this humiliation.
James turned to her.
"James, why are you just looking at me? Did you find an investor?" Laura asked urgently.
"Did you really want to cancel our engagement?" James asked softly.
Laura was speechless. 'How can he still care about that now?' she thought.
"James, have you found an investor or not? Stop being mysterious!" Nancy snapped.
The shareholders in the conference room were getting impatient and started shouting at James. "Yeah, if you haven't, give us our money back. We don't have time to waste!"
"Hurry up, stop wasting time! I don't have the patience for this." Donovan sneered, thinking James's hesitation meant he hadn't found an investor. Otherwise, he wouldn't be stalling.
"James, say something! Have you found an investor?" Laura asked anxiously.
"Answer my question first. Do you really want to cancel our engagement and be with Donovan?" James asked, expressionless.
"What's the point of discussing this now? I agreed to marry you because my father's company had problems. Now my company has issues too. If I cancel our engagement and be with Donovan, I can solve all our family's problems. It's not about love; it's about maximizing the value of my marriage!" Laura shouted.
James thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, I understand."
"So, have you found an investor or not? If not, I can only cancel the engagement with you!" Laura said, though she still hoped James had found an investor. She felt she had more freedom with James, whereas with Donovan, she'd just be his plaything.
James took a deep breath, then turned to the door and shouted, "Ian, come in!"
James had asked Laura that question to gauge her true feelings. If she wanted to be with Donovan, even if he found an investor now, she'd leave him at the next sign of trouble.
James knew that he needed to marry Laura regardless of the circumstances. He thought, 'If Laura’s heart isn't truly with me, then there's no point in investing too much effort. We might as well be a formal but meaningless couple.
'But if Laura is only considering ending our engagement because she feels she has no other choice, then there might still be a chance for us to become a genuine couple.'
As soon as James finished speaking, a middle-aged man in a black suit walked in. It was Ian Phillips, Charles' assistant and the manager of one of James' financial companies.
James had been late because he was waiting for Charles, but since Charles' flight was delayed, he brought Ian to discuss the investment with Laura.
