Chapter 72
"The news about Mr. Kennedy being seriously ill is just a rumor," Jack said.
"But you announced it yourself! How can you say it's not true now? Isn't that just lying to yourself?" Caroline was even more confused.
Without Nathan's go-ahead, Jack didn't dare to spill more. He just gave an apologetic smile to brush it off.
Caroline was even more annoyed. Nathan was definitely not simple. He wasn't sick but faked it, causing the stock market to go nuts and billions to vanish in a flash!
Was he pretending to be sick to get Ryan and Sophie's sympathy for his next move?
"If he's not sick, let's go," Caroline said, pulling Ryan and Sophie to leave.
"Wait a second," Jack called out, not daring to physically stop them.
Caroline paused. "What do you want?"
Jack smiled apologetically, "I wouldn't dare to do anything. Mr. Kennedy said he has something important to discuss with you, Mr. Murphy. He hopes you'll meet him; otherwise, I'll be in trouble."
"Mommy, since we're here, let's meet Nathan," Sophie didn't want to leave either.
"He's a liar! You still want to see him? He wasn't sick and made you worry all day, and you still defend him?" Caroline asked angrily.
"Nathan is not a liar!" Sophie defended him fiercely.
"Mr. Kennedy had his reasons for announcing his illness. It wasn't meant to deceive. Please give him a chance to explain," Jack said.
Caroline thought for a moment. Since she was already here and had lied to William to come, she might as well see what Nathan wanted.
They took the executive elevator straight to the top floor.
"Ms. Sophie Kennedy and Mr. Ryan Kennedy can play here first. Mr. Nathan Kennedy wants to see you alone," Jack told Caroline.
"I don't feel comfortable leaving my kids with others," Caroline objected immediately.
"Don't worry, it's absolutely safe here. To keep the kids entertained, Mr. Nathan Kennedy has prepared lots of food and toys," Jack explained.
"That's great! Mommy, you go ahead. We'll be fine," Sophie cheered, and Ryan nodded.
At Jack's call, two beautiful ladies led Ryan and Sophie away.
Then, Caroline followed Jack into Nathan's super fancy office.
Caroline glanced around, feeling quite annoyed. The office was like a palace. If his office was like this, how luxurious must his home be? Nathan seemed cold on the outside but was actually a spoiled playboy!
And he still acted all high and mighty, which was really annoying!
Behind the large desk, Nathan was engrossed in a document. He didn't look up when Caroline entered.
"Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Murphy is here," Jack said softly.
Nathan still didn't look up or speak, his eyes glued to the document.
Caroline felt a surge of anger. Nathan was always like this!
In fact, when the door opened, Nathan had planned to look up and nod in greeting. After all, she was Nick's woman, the mother of Ryan and Sophie, and he should have shown her respect.
However, the familiar scent of orange blossoms wafted in, and he couldn't help but take a few deep breaths. That fragrance made him feel a sense of déjà vu. He couldn't look up immediately, fearing that the complex emotions in his eyes would be noticed.
He was the perfect man; how could he let a mere scent mess with his emotions?
Nathan snorted and waved his hand, signaling Jack to leave.
Jack bowed respectfully to Caroline and then exited, gently closing the door behind him.
Now, it was just Nathan and Caroline in the spacious office.
Nathan still didn't look up. The faint scent of orange blossoms lingered, stirring feelings that had haunted him for years.
Caroline, clueless about Nathan's inner turmoil, just thought he was being super rude, keeping his head down and pretending to be busy.
He called her over but then ignored her. What was that about?
Suddenly, a loud, deliberate cough broke the silence, making Nathan flinch slightly.
Realizing Caroline had done it on purpose, Nathan frowned.
She was so uncouth, making such a jarring noise, totally lacking in manners!
Nathan thought, 'How could Nick have such poor taste, getting involved with someone like Caroline and even having kids?'
Caroline must have been cunning, setting a trap to make Nick fall in love, then using pregnancy to climb the social ladder!
Nathan finally looked up, his gaze cold and sharp, locking onto Caroline.
Caroline was used to that look; it was Nathan's standard attitude, not enough to scare her.
So, she fearlessly met his gaze. Their eyes locked, each reflecting the other's disdain and hostility.
Silence stretched between them, their gazes clashing, seconds feeling like an eternity.
Finally, Caroline was the first to break the stare. Facing Nathan directly, even in a simple stare-down, seemed to drain all her energy.
She chose to compromise, her gaze shifting elsewhere. But she couldn't lose her momentum. She immediately spoke with undeniable arrogance, "What do you want?"
Nathan's heart surged with emotion. He was the major investor in "Thunder 2". As a crew member, was it so hard for Caroline to call him "Mr. Kennedy"?
Even the director treated him with utmost respect, yet as an actress, Caroline showed him no respect at all.
Caroline noticed Nathan's gaze growing colder and wondered, 'What did I do to offend him this time? Can't I even ask a question?'
If she didn't ask, how would she know why he had called her over?
Nathan said nothing, just handed her a document.
Caroline was puzzled. What was in this document?
Taking it, she saw it was a paternity test report.
The core information was clear: the probability of a parent-child relationship was higher than 99.99%.
Caroline was shocked. Was Nathan actually Ryan and Sophie's biological father?
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, facing the reality still left her stunned.
But in an instant, she felt a sense of relief. At least Ryan and Sophie's father wasn't the ugly and fat Colin. It was less disgusting.
This subtle relaxation was keenly noticed by Nathan.
He interpreted it as her victory declaration, a sign of her triumph after she managed to climb the social ladder, so his disgust for her grew.
Caroline gently placed the report back on the desk. "And then?"
"Name your price," Nathan said coldly.
"What do you mean?" Caroline looked at Nathan, confused.
"How much compensation do you want?" Nathan asked bluntly.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
