Chapter 544 Jealousy
"Don't sweat it. We're friends. Plus, this whole mess started because of me. I should've been here sooner."
Billy's voice was warm and friendly as he spoke to Diana.
But behind him, Charles's face darkened. This was his first time meeting Billy, and he already couldn't stand him.
The dislike was deep-seated, an instinctive urge to get Billy as far away as possible, even if he couldn't pinpoint why.
"Problem's solved. If there's nothing else, you can leave. We're heading home, and you're in the way."
Charles's expression was sour as he tightened his grip on Diana's hand, refusing to let go.
Diana tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Don't make a scene, it's just a greeting."
Then she turned to Billy and explained, "He was injured before and hasn't fully recovered yet. Don't mind him."
Billy pressed his lips together slightly, glancing at Charles, whose expression clearly said: Get lost.
With so many people around, Billy, though annoyed by Charles's attitude, nodded for Diana's sake. "Alright, Diana, I'll head out. If anything like this happens again, let me know right away."
Before he could finish, Charles interrupted impatiently, "She should notify me. Diana is my wife. Mr. Richardson, calling her by her first name so intimately isn't appropriate, is it?"
To prevent a public argument, Diana quickly covered Charles's mouth and gave Billy an apologetic smile. Then she dragged Charles away from the scene.
Watching them leave, Billy was momentarily stunned. When did their relationship get so close?
...
Once Diana got Charles into the car, he sat there sulking. Unlike his usual cold demeanor, this time his anger was evident, as if waiting for someone to coax him.
Diana couldn't help but wonder if the intimidating Charles from the meeting room was the same person as the one sitting next to her now.
They sat in the back seat, a distance between them. Charles crossed his arms and stared straight ahead, occasionally glancing at Diana through the rearview mirror.
Seeing her huddled in the corner, looking dazed, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Was it really such a big deal that he didn't let her talk to Billy?
Charles gritted his teeth, regretting not coming down sooner. He could feel Diana's attitude towards him softening, but one encounter with Billy seemed to reset everything.
"Are you thinking about him? You can still see him if we go back now."
Diana was taken aback by the sudden question. After confirming it was Charles who spoke, she pointed to herself, "Me? See who?"
Charles didn't respond, just huffed and turned his head away.
Realizing he was still hung up on Billy, Diana couldn't help but laugh. "No, I was thinking about work."
She moved closer to him. "The shareholders saw you doing well, so they should behave for a while. But Zachary failed this time, and he'll definitely try again."
It's the hidden snake that bites the hardest...
"I'll go to the company and kick him out."
Charles's expression remained displeased, but he spoke with confidence.
"You don't remember anything. How are you going to fight him?"
Diana leaned back in her seat and sighed, not taking his words seriously. "Even though I lost my memory, I must have been a diligent boss before. Muscle memory for these things. Didn't you all say I successfully took over before? If I did it once, I can do it again."
Charles turned to look at Diana, his eyes burning with determination. His confidence was infectious, and Diana couldn't help but smile and pat his shoulder.
"You were diligent, but a terrible boss. You liked to overwork your employees, especially Nolan."
---
Despite Diana not wanting Charles to return to the company so soon, his insistence won out.
The next day, they both appeared at the Percy Group headquarters, causing quite a stir. Employees were shocked to see their once cold CEO now nodding and greeting everyone warmly.
Diana grabbed his arm and whispered, "Stop greeting everyone. You weren't this polite before!"
If someone noticed the change, it could cause trouble.
But Charles didn't care. He enjoyed the way the employees looked at him.
To avoid any mishaps, Diana quickly led him to the executive elevator. Once they reached the office, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"This is my office?"
Charles looked around, his fingers brushing over the mahogany desk.
Diana nodded from the couch, "Yep, you used to work here late every day. There's even a rest area over there."
Charles walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a book. It was a company brochure, detailing its history and filled with photos.
At the top was a picture of his grandfather, whom he didn't recognize, and his familiar grandmother. Below them was his father, and at the bottom, himself.
Zachary and Elise were relegated to the corners, their contributions to the company minimal, included only because of their family ties.
Charles's fingers traced over the photos. In his picture, he stood in a suit, expressionless, his eyes cold as ice.
Diana came over and explained, "This was probably taken during one of your speeches. See that expression? That's how you used to look."
She mimicked the stern face, making Charles chuckle as he closed the brochure. "I won't be like that anymore. It's exhausting."
Diana responded absentmindedly, walking around the office with him. Soon, there was a knock on the door.
Nolan, Abigail, and Dean entered together. Nolan and Abigail looked excited, while Dean seemed reluctant, as if he had been dragged along.
"Mr. Percy, welcome back!"
Abigail spoke first. Though her relationship with Charles wasn't as close as Nolan's, she was genuinely happy to see the boss healthy again.
She handed over a fruit basket she had hidden behind her back, greeted Charles, and quickly left, leaving the office to the others.
Nolan, having nothing prepared, cleared his throat and ignored the fruit basket. "Mr. Charles Percy, we're already investigating yesterday's incident. Mr. Zachary Percy is in serious trouble."
He glanced at Dean, hesitant to continue.
Dean, noticing this, plopped down on the couch. "What? Am I an outsider who can't hear this?"
"This is an internal company matter, and a family issue for Mr. Percy..."
Nolan whispered, implying that Dean, who wasn't fully part of the company or the family, shouldn't be privy to the details.
Surprisingly, Charles said, "Go ahead. He's one of us."
Dean had been the one to alert him to go to the company yesterday. Though Charles wasn't familiar with him, he found Dean much more agreeable than Billy.
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