Chapter 014 Caught in the Act
The other private room was lively with people. Tom sat at the center, flanked by two scantily clad women vying for his attention.
His gaze lecherously lingered on Grace's silhouette, his smile greasy and repulsive.
In his eyes, Grace wasn't particularly attractive, but her figure was voluptuous and alluring. Even though she dressed conservatively, Tom had seen and touched countless women and could tell at a glance whether her curves were natural or enhanced.
What really piqued his interest was the rumor that she was set to marry into the Montgomery family. The thought of sleeping with Ryan's woman thrilled him.
"Come on, let's keep drinking. You're Grace, right? I didn't expect you to hold your liquor so well," Tom complimented.
Grace struggled to keep her composure, having already consumed quite a bit. She had just stepped outside for a breath of fresh air when Tom had pulled her back in.
"Mr. Reed, about the contract, could we... maybe sign the papers before continuing to drink?"
Grace presented the contract, but Tom cast it aside. "No rush. Didn't I say we're drinking first? If you can drink these in one go, I'll sign it."
Grace eyed the drinks. "Mr. Reed, are you serious?"
"Of course," Tom Reed insisted.
Without hesitation, she picked up the glass and drank the whiskey like it was water. She hadn't eaten much that day, and now her stomach was burning uncomfortably.
"Mr. Reed, please keep your word," Grace said, handing him a pen.
Instead of taking the pen, Tom reached out and touched her hand. "You have such soft, delicate hands," he complemented.
Then he looked at Grace's face and thought to himself, ‘Too bad it's so plain and unremarkable.’
Grace felt sick to her stomach. She withdrew her hand. "Mr. Reed, I've already explained to you the pros and cons of partnering with us and our future strategic direction. Signing this contract is beneficial for your company."
Indeed, Grace had sent the report to his company that afternoon. Tom had reviewed it, and it was comprehensive and thoughtful, far superior to previous proposals they had received.
But he wanted more than just the contract.
"People are lining up to work with Reed Group. What makes you so special that we should choose you?" Tom Reed scoffed.
"But you just said that if I drank, you would sign it," Grace reiterared, in disbelief.
"I did say that, but there's no hurry. I have a room booked. Why don't we go there and talk things over? If you make it worth my while, not only will I give Lewis Group the contract for next quarter, but I might even extend it to another year. How does that sound?" Tom suggested, a hint of maliciousness in his tone.
Tom's smile grew lecherous, while Grace's forced smile started to fade.
She leaned in close, as if to whisper in his ear. He half expected her to kiss him. They were so close it looked to others as if they were sharing secrets.
Fighting back nausea, Grace's voice was ice cold.
"Mr. Reed, your wife doesn't know about the room you booked next door, does she? Also, a few days ago, one of your mistresses came to you because she's pregnant. The child must still be there. And I have some photos of you. If you don't want your wife to find out, you better sign this contract," Grace cautioned him.
"You..." Tom immediately panicked.
His enterprise had thrived largely due to Laura whose family was wealthy.
Laura was also a fierce and possessive woman. However, the more she tried to control Tom, the more he found himself entangled with other women. Relying on his wealth to handle any fallout, Tom had kept much of it hidden from Laura.
"How does it sound? I have a video as well. I'm sure your wife would be interested," Grace revealed.
"Are you threatening me?" Tom was clearly displeased. He absolutely could not let Laura learn of this but being threatened made him feel stifled.
"How could this be a threat? This is nothing more than a business deal. Mr. Reed, just sign it, and I'll pretend I saw nothing," Grace pressed.
"You..." Before Tom could finish, the private room door flew open.
"We have a reservation for this space. You need to leave," said the manager.
"Do you know who I am? How dare you make me leave?" Tom stated, angrily.
"I don't care who you are." The manager had brought security with him and waved his hand. "Throw them out!"
The boss had instructed them to forcibly remove Tom from the second floor without niceties and to avoid conflict by simply tossing him out.
"Hey, you... you won't get away with this. It's just a small bar. You've messed with Reed Group, and you're in trouble!"
Tom was livid. He was here entertaining clients today, and now it looked like he would lose the deal as well.
The manager was not intimidated. Tom was carried out of the bar by the security team, his exit was an embarrassing spectacle.
"Hey, Mr. Reed, you haven't signed the contract!" Grace called out with the contract in hand, but she suddenly felt nauseous, stopped, and hurried to the restroom.
The contract was so close to being signed. Tom was wavering, about to sign, but it all went to waste. Grace felt sick to her stomach but couldn't vomit; the discomfort was unbearable.
Nearby, Victor stood by Xavier's side. He could sense Xavier's mood getting worse.
Xavier's expressionless face had been unchanging, but Victor could feel that Xavier was furious.
Especially after they had kicked open the private room door and saw Tom cozying up to a girl, Victor sensed that Xavier seemed ready to explode with rage.
At first, he thought Xavier was hung up on that girl, but when she turned around, he saw her very plain face, and all his fantasies shattered. He thought it must have been some knockout beauty that made Xavier jealous. Turns out he was wrong.
But Xavier’s gaze remained fixed on the girl. Victor felt sure that they knew each other.
“Xavier, do you know her?” he asked.
Xavier responded tersely, “Ryan’s fiancée.”
“So that’s it. Was she about to cheat on your nephew just now?” Victor was astonished.
But then he thought, ‘Doesn’t Xavier really hate the Montgomery family? Why would he want to help Ryan? Wouldn’t he be happier if Ryan was betrayed?’
However, when he looked at Xavier again, the dim light accentuated his ominously grim demeanor. It seemed to Victor that after he mentioned betrayal, Xavier’s expression grew even more frightening. Victor wondered, “What’s going on here? It’s as if Xavier discovered he himself was the one being betrayed.”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
