Chapter 46 The Restraint in His Presence

Aaron, feeling the dampness on his clothes, gripped her arm and said icily, "I just came in from outside; it's wet, don't touch."

In the past, Vincent would have been upset, but her heart was still pounding from the phone call, and she wasn't in the mood for flirting or taking his comment to heart.

Thinking about meeting that person tomorrow filled her with resentment and irritation.

"Aaron, I want to be discharged."

"Left the hospital?" Aaron scanned her hands clutching her dress and subtly diverted his gaze to her face, "Aren't you feeling unwell?"

Vincent's heart was indeed troubled, but not from illness, "I'm feeling much better now, no more tightness in my chest."

She had pretended to be sick, undergoing numerous tests and blood draws arranged by Ashton. If this continued, even the healthy would fall ill.

Aaron caressed the Green Diamonds ring, "Alright, Wesley, get the paperwork started."

Discharge formalities were swiftly completed, and as Vincent sat in Aaron’s car, her mind was preoccupied with how to withdraw fifty million without her family noticing.

It wasn't until the car stopped outside the imposing Thompson family mansion that she snapped back to reality.

As she got out of the car, his deep voice reached her: "Go home and rest well."

Vincent was pleasantly surprised, joy written all over her face. During her hospital stay, Aaron spent the previous night there and came to be with her after work today. Even though he was right beside her, she felt a vast distance between them.
"Okay..." She hadn't finished her sentence when Aaron cut her off.

"Look, if you're not feeling great, just let me know, alright? There's no need to get Grandfather involved—he's getting on in years, let him rest."

He spoke in the same tone he always did, that indifferent vibe that Vincent usually admired, but for some reason, it sent a chill through her heart.

"Aaron, I didn't..."

"Weren't you the one who sent word to Grandfather last night?"

Vincent's complexion shifted, and she tried to deny it, "Aaron, I really..."

"Vincent."

Aaron slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers, his eyes clear and deep like a cold plunge pool, making Vincent shiver uncontrollably.

Tears welled up as Aaron's powerful presence overwhelmed her, triggering a visceral reaction from the fear stirring within her.

Staring at the tears quickly gathering in her eyes, Aaron reminded her without pity, "Stay honest and you'll have what you want."

Vincent was taken aback and suddenly looked up, almost letting her tears fall.

His words carried significant weight, and Vincent quickly weighed her options; Aaron's statement felt like a veiled threat.

She turned pale.

As she got out of the car, her legs gave out, almost sending her to her knees. A quick-reacting servant hurried over to support her, noticing her ashen face.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Behind her, the car engine roared to life and drove away.

"Get away from me!" she snapped, shoving the servant's hands away, hurling her purse at them, and in a fit of anger, kicking them.

The unfortunate servant knelt on the ground, forehead grazed and bleeding from the purse's zipper.

Vincent didn't even glance back, let alone offer an apology, and walked off in her high heels.

Upon her return, Camila rushed over anxiously, "You're discharged?"

"I wasn’t sick in the first place, so why stay in a hospital?" Vincent was about to kick off her heels but paused, remembering something, "Where's Dad?"

"He's working late."

With no one to stop her, Vincent easily slipped out of her high heels; Jonah would never allow such behavior at home, but Camila had always been indulgent.

"What do you mean you're not sick? Did the doctor discharge you?" Camila was nearly sidetracked by the previous conversation.

"Do you not get it? I was faking it," she snapped, irritated by the mere thought of her unpleasant hospital experience.

Camila gasped in surprise, "But why?"

"It's because of Eleanor. She’s messing around with Aaron. I had no choice, Mom. We really let Victoria off too easy the other day!"

Camila scoffed, "Dealing with Victoria is the easy part. It’s Eleanor who’s the real piece of work."
"It's not that simple. She's just coasting on her looks, putting on that wannabe seductress act!" Vincent touched his swollen cheek, still fuming. Earlier, in a bid to face off against Eleanor, he'd managed to slap his own face several times in frustration.

But that wasn't the immediate concern.

"Mom, do you have any money?"
"How much?"
"Fifty million."
"What?" Camila's expression changed—not because she couldn't afford it, but because she needed to understand, "What do you need that much money for?"

Vincent couldn't tell her the truth, "Just give it to me. I won't do anything wrong with it, I'm going to invest. I'm short on funds, and since I haven't married into The Quinn family yet, it doesn't feel right asking Aaron for it."

That made sense to Camila, who didn’t ponder much and went upstairs to fetch a bank card for her.

…

Early in the morning, the employees of Gaia BioTech Industries filed into the company.

Eleanor, preferring to avoid the hustle and bustle, headed to the underground parking lot. Checking her watch – eight o'clock on the dot. The workday at Gaia BioTech started at half-past eight, and she'd heard that Colin Harris always arrived around eight.

Early arrival and late departure, it was his routine.

Sure enough, just as she looked up, the beams of a car swung by, with a Rolls-Royce Phantom smoothly entering from the entrance.

Eleanor stood by Colin Harris's parking space. As the car came to a halt and the window rolled down, Patterson glanced at her.

"Mr. Harris." Eleanor always felt a certain restraint around him.

Though she hid it well, Patterson noticed, "What's up?"

Eleanor handed him a bag, "Thanks for yesterday, Mr. Harris. I made some cake. Please, have a taste."

In his thirty-one years, Harris had received countless gifts from women—shy glances, coquettish looks—all with the aim of winning his favor and getting something from him, always with an ulterior motive.

He never accepted them.

"Alright."

He reached out, took the bag from Eleanor's hand, and placed it on the passenger seat before getting out to take the elevator straight to the CEO's office.

His secretary briefed him on the day's schedule.

Only a few leading firms in Nan City had been invited to the municipal tender, and Gaia BioTech Industries, bolstered by the solid foundation of The Harris family, was a promising newcomer selected to participate.
Colin Harris preferred to drive himself, his secretary seated in the passenger's seat.

Upon opening the car door, Colin glanced at a bag perched on the passenger seat, hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and placed it in the center console.

The secretary was curious about the contents of the bag but knew better than to pry, especially since Mr. Harris didn't take kindly to the distracted. She'd caught only a fleeting glimpse, enough to spot what seemed like a cake.

But didn't Mr. Harris avoid cake?

As the car pulled up in front of the city hall, a sleek black Bentley came to a stop alongside, both vehicles gleaming under the sun. The presence of two remarkably poised men stepping out attracted involuntary glances from the passersby.

"Aaron," Colin Harris nodded in greeting.

The Bentley's door remained ajar as Aaron's gaze casually swept the interior and landed on a bag on the console.

Eleanor had a penchant for whimsical trinkets, and her choice of bags – carefully selected from online boutiques – was no secret to Aaron. He recognized this particular bag; it had once housed a swim trunks incident, sporting a design in pink and blue that had nearly caused him to lose his composure.

Eleanor had chided him for his lack of aesthetic appreciation then, lamenting that the bag was a discontinued rarity in her collection.

And now, peeking from that bag was part of a cake box he had seen just last night at Eleanor's house, the cake she had insisted on baking despite being exhausted – meant for Colin Harris.

A subtle smirk crossed his lips, a shadow flickering in his eyes as he addressed him,"Mr. Harris."