Chapter 409 How Do You Plan to Solve It?
Sharon dropped her gaze, trying to figure out how to respond.
After a few seconds, Seb's deep voice broke the silence, "Still can't think of anything to say? Then maybe I'll just..."
"Wait!" Sharon quickly looked up, covering his lips with her hand, her eyes wide, "No matter what I say, you'll just say you're not satisfied and keep doing what you were doing, right?"
Her clear eyes reflected his image, like he was the only person in the world.
Seb's gaze turned intense, as he stared at her like a predator eyeing its prey, giving her no chance to escape.
Under his intense stare, Sharon's face grew warmer, and she bit her lower lip, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Did he know how terrifying his gaze was? It was like he wanted to devour her whole.
Seb kept staring without saying a word, and the tension between them grew.
Sharon's hand on his chest started to feel weak, and she wondered if she should just beg for mercy and ask him to let her go.
Just as she was thinking of what to say, Seb's phone rang.
Seeing it was Paul, Seb changed his expression and answered the call.
Whatever Paul said made Seb's expression change. He glanced down at Sharon and suddenly let her go.
"Go hang out with Demetrius, I have work to do." Seb said.
Sharon immediately sighed in relief, quickly turned around, and ran out the door.
Watching her hurriedly retreating figure, Seb softened his gaze for a moment, but then it turned cold again as if he had thought of something.
He closed the study door and said coldly, "Continue."
"Mr. Smith, the person investigating Ms. Roach is named Jesse Scott, a senior executive at MK Group. It's said he has close ties with foreign gangs." Paul said.
MK Group was a big international company that started with gaming and recently expanded into baby products and kitchenware, doing really well.
Silvercrest Group had thought about going international and had contacted MK Group, but they weren't interested, so Seb didn't push it.
Paul's voice continued, "Jesse's parents are from Metropolis, but Jesse has been living abroad for over twenty years and rarely comes back. Since he can remember, he's always been abroad. I also found out that he has never had any interaction with Ms. Roach. It was only after Grace returned five years ago that he started investigating Ms. Roach."
Seb's gaze turned icy, and the atmosphere around him became really tense. It seemed everything was connected to Grace.
"I get it. Keep an eye on them and let me know if anything happens." Seb said.
After hanging up, Seb looked out at the deep night, his gaze unreadable. It took a few minutes before Seb picked up his phone again and dialed Victor's number.
On the other end, Victor hung up the phone and left the study.
Grace was sitting on the couch watching TV. When she heard footsteps behind her, her body instinctively tensed.
In the past two years, Victor had hit her more and more often, treating her like a punching bag. She had developed a conditioned fear of him, feeling scared whenever she saw anything related to him, let alone hearing his footsteps.
Sensing the footsteps stop behind her, Grace tried to calm herself and slowly turned around. "Victor, what do you want?"
Seeing the wariness and fear in her eyes, Victor smiled and walked over to sit across from her. "Nothing, just want to chat."
Grace felt her hands on her lap tremble involuntarily, thinking this must be a new way Victor had come up with to torment her.
If her answers displeased him, he would surely hit her again. Sadly, she had nowhere else to go.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to meet his gaze, "Don't forget, I have to accompany Mr. Owens on a boat trip the day after tomorrow. If he sees any injuries on me..."
Victor chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on you today."
When Grace heard this, her tense back relaxed a bit, but her gaze still held a hint of fear, "What do you want to talk about?"
In recent years, Victor's attitude towards her had been one of disgust, even blaming her for his fallout with Seb. They rarely had such peaceful moments together. So, Grace felt a sense of unreality.
"The Edwards Group is considering expanding its business internationally. You stayed in Stellaria for a few years, right? What do you think about expanding to Stellaria?" Victor asked.
Grace frowned. The Edwards Group was struggling domestically, and blindly expanding abroad would be a dead end. Was Victor crazy?
But she could only keep these thoughts to herself, not daring to voice them.
"I don't think Stellaria is very suitable. The Edwards Group should focus on developing domestically." Grace said.
Victor narrowed his eyes, "You spent so many years abroad. Why don't you tell me about your life there so I can judge if there's a business opportunity?"
Grace's heart skipped a beat. If Victor found out what she had done abroad, he would despise her even more.
"There's not much to say. I just went to school every day, and when I didn't have classes, I stayed in my apartment." Grace responded.
Seeing her hands clench on her dress, Victor's eyes flashed coldly. Grace's life abroad couldn't have been as simple as she said.
After all, when he had sent Grace to those big shots' beds, many had hinted that Grace was very skilled in bed and asked him to send her over again.
"Really? You must have made some friends abroad, right? Why haven't I seen you contact anyone in the past few years?"
Grace's sense of foreboding grew stronger, her nails digging into her palms. "Victor, why are you suddenly asking about this? Most of my friends are in Stellaria, and we probably won't meet again, so we don't keep in touch."
Knowing he couldn't get anything out of her, Victor looked grim. "Grace, are you hiding something from me?"
"No." Grace's face turned pale, her smile almost frozen.
"It better be true, or you'll regret it!" Victor warned.
With that, he got up and left the living room.
It wasn't until the living room was quiet again that Grace let out a sigh of relief, but her heart was still uneasy.
Why had Victor suddenly asked about her time abroad? Could he know she was planning to take his money and run?
The thought made her heart race.
But she quickly calmed down. If Victor really knew, he wouldn't just warn her so peacefully; he would have hit her. Feeling slightly reassured, she quickly took out her phone and sent a message to Kirk.
Victor returned to the study, his face dark and brooding.
Having lived under the same roof with Grace for over five years, he was certain that Grace was hiding something from him; otherwise, she wouldn't have had that expression just now.
He immediately contacted his secretary, instructing him to find out what had happened to Grace during her years abroad.
The secretary hesitated, "Mr. Edwards, the company only has six million dollars in available funds. Investigating Mrs. Edwards' past abroad could be quite costly."
In his opinion, every bit of the company's money was crucial right now, and spending it on investigating Grace seemed wasteful.
Victor's expression turned icy, "Charge the investigation to my personal account. No matter what, you must find something!"
He knew Seb's character well. If he couldn't provide useful information next time, Seb wouldn't give him another chance.
He had to uncover the forces behind Grace!
"Understood." The secretary replied.
Kirk was sipping chicken soup brought by Ariana, and the atmosphere was somewhat quiet in the hospital room.
Seeing Ariana sitting beside him with her head down, lost in thought, Kirk's eyes darkened.
"Ariana, you seem troubled. Did something happen?" Kirk asked anxiously.
Ariana looked up at him, her expression indifferent, "Nothing happened."
Kirk tightened his grip on the spoon. Although he had saved Ariana, he didn't feel that her attitude towards him had changed much.
Did she really have no feelings for him at all? The thought cast a shadow over Kirk's eyes.
Just as he was about to speak, a cat's meow suddenly came from the window. His room was on the second floor, and it wasn't uncommon for birds and cats to jump onto the windowsill.
Kirk frowned, his expression darkening with a flicker of hostility. He still remembered vividly the pain of a cat's scratch from his childhood, which made him foster a simmering dislike for the creatures ever since.
Ariana looked out the window and saw a small, thin cat pawing at the window, trying to get inside. Her eyes showed surprise.
The cat was very small and looked no more than two months old. She wondered how it had managed to climb up to the windowsill.
The weather outside was very cold, and the kitten was shivering, scratching at the window and meowing pitifully, desperately trying to get into the warm room.
Ariana bit her lip, her expression conflicted. She loved cats and had always wanted to have one once she started working.
The kitten looked cold and hungry. If she didn't help it, it might freeze to death outside tonight.
The kitten continued to meow, but its scratching grew weaker.
Ariana took a deep breath and finally made a decision, walking towards the window.
If the kitten ran away when she approached, it meant they weren't meant to be. But if it stayed, she would take it in.
As she walked to the window, many thoughts crossed her mind. For instance, she had no experience raising a cat. How would she care for a two-month-old kitten? And she was struggling herself. How could she take on the responsibility of another life? But this kitten was so much like her, just trying to survive.
Seeing Ariana's actions, Kirk frowned, wanting to call her back, but he held his tongue. She was only a few steps from the window and soon stood beside it.
The kitten was still shivering, looking up at her with a hint of fear but not running away.
Ariana placed her hand on the window, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly opened it.
The kitten obediently jumped inside and curled up in a corner of the window, its little head turning curiously but not moving.
Ariana closed the window and picked up the kitten, looking at Kirk, "Mr. Marshall, it's getting late. I'll come see you tomorrow. What would you like to eat?"
Kirk didn't answer her question, instead frowning at the kitten in her arms, "Are you going to keep that cat?"
Ariana held the kitten with one hand and gently petted its head with the other. The kitten, as if understanding, lifted its head comfortably under her touch.
Kirk's face darkened. He had gone to great lengths to get her to notice him, even getting injured and ending up in the hospital for her, yet she remained distant. But now she was so kind to a kitten she had just met!
"Yes, this kitten and I are meant to be," Ariana said.
"And what about me? Ariana, you should have noticed my feelings for you by now..." Kirk said.
Kirk's words were cut off by Ariana's calm interruption, "Mr. Marshall, we're not suitable for each other. You've saved me twice and helped me a lot, and I'm very grateful. If you ever need my help, I'd be happy to assist. But feelings can't be forced. I can't make myself accept your feelings just because I'm grateful to you."
A shadow crossed Kirk's eyes. He wanted to knock the soup off the table, but his fingers twitched, and he restrained himself.
He turned his head, his voice cold, "You can go. You don't need to come back. Helping you was my choice; it has nothing to do with you."
Ariana, holding the kitten, spoke calmly, "Mr. Marshall, if you don't want to see me, I'll hire a caregiver for you."
Kirk's lips twitched. He wanted to ask if she had the money to hire a caregiver for him, but he didn't say it.
A heavy silence descended upon the room. The kitten seemingly sensed the tense atmosphere, remaining nestled quietly in Ariana's arms. Without another word, she turned and left.
Waiting for the elevator, Ariana looked at her pale reflection in the elevator doors, her lips curling bitterly.
She wasn't heartless. Kirk had saved her twice, and she did have some feelings for him. But Sharon was more important to her than Kirk.
Ariana knew Sharon didn't like Kirk, so she wouldn't give him any chance.
Besides, Kirk had his own hidden motives for approaching her, so she didn't feel too guilty about rejecting him.
The next morning, on their way to the company, Seb and Sharon received a video from Paul.
Seb opened it and watched, his expression turning dark, gripping his phone so tightly that it seemed he might crush it.
Sharon also saw the video, which showed the altercation between Demetrius and Jerold in the classroom.
The video confirmed Demetrius's account. Jerold had indeed fallen while trying to hit him, and Demetrius hadn't touched him.
Recalling Ayla's polite attitude when she came to see Seb last night, and considering the numerous collaborations between the Bridges Group and Silvercrest Group, Sharon pursed her lips. "What do you plan to do about this?"
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