Warming

Chapter 30

Samuel pondered the question for a moment then said, “From an outsider’s perspective, he’s an unrestrained, cynical young man who spends his days in strip clubs and bars. Rumors follow him wherever he goes. However…”

Lucille kept quiet, waiting for Samuel to finish his sentence.

After a brief pause, he continued, “A year ago, Mr. Sanders suddenly took over the management of the Sanders Corporation’s hotel chain. The hotels‘ reputation wasn’t doing well; they often received complaints about their amenities and service.

“However, looking back on the year, I think the complaints have reduced significantly. Not to mention, the hotels‘ profits had grown 2% compared to previous years. Although it’s not much, it is a step in the right direction.”

As he checked off each point, he suddenly thought of a possibility. His eyes lit up as he said, “Perhaps his cynical and wild attitude is a front.”

Lucille narrowed her eyes. “He isn’t the son of Mr. Sanders Senior’s wife. He’s actually the illegitimate son and a product of Mr. Sanders Senior’s affair.”

Samuel had no idea about that. He never thought about that connection. But when he did think about it, this was a rather common occurrence among the wealthy.

“I remember that the Sanders family has an elder son called Max Sanders. Mr. Sanders Senior really dotes on his eldest son.

“According to rumors, he is the heir to the Sanders family. Even though Mr. Charles is the illegitimate son, he’s still a Sanders. Thus, it makes sense that Mr. Sanders Senior handed over the hotel chain to him.

“Even before Mr. Charles was accepted into the Sanders family at 16 years old, he was already a cynical person. Now that he has the Sanders family backing him up, he’s only gotten worse. He can’t have been pretending all this time, right?” Samuel asked.

After Lucille went home last night, she had dug deeper into Charles. On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However, if she thought about it the other way, the more normal it seemed, the more problems there would be.

She leveled her clear gaze at Samuel and said, “He’s someone who is adept at hiding his true thoughts beneath a simple front and is always looking to the future. It wouldn’t be strange if he has been pretending since the beginning.”

When Samuel heard this, he felt chills run down his back. Only a meticulous person could plan so far ahead and would be willing to hide their shine for over a decade.

This kind of person was always the most terrifying because one could never tell when they were going to get stabbed in the back.

“Well, should we still collaborate with them, Ms. Johnson?” Samuel asked.

While remaining composed, Lucille gave him a half–smile and said slowly, “Of course. Why wouldn’t we? I’ll leave this to you.”

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Chapter 30

Samuel was at a loss for words.

Lucille laughed quietly. “It’s not like we’re his target.”

+25 BONUS

Samuel was slightly dumbstruck. Then, something clicked in his mind, and he said in surprise, “Is his target the Sanders Corporation?”

Lucille said nothing and just smiled.

Samuel continued worriedly, “But if we collaborate with him, he-”

Lucille said nonchalantly, “He won’t. Even if he tries, he won’t have the opportunity!”

Hearing Lucille’s assured tone, Samuel cursed himself internally for being so stupid. Why would his boss- a hidden mastermind–be afraid of these things?

“Then I shall prepare the contract right away,” he said.

As he was speaking, Lucille opened her inbox on her laptop. “Sure,” she answered dismissively.

As Samuel went to get the contract ready, Lucille was staring at a confidential email in her inbox from someone named “GB“.

There was only one line. “The Dark Chamber members are looking for Zing. Be careful.”

Lucille squinted her eyes. The elusive Dark Chamber was looking for her?

After a long time, she finally replied, “Okay.”

Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office at JM Corporation, Mack was standing respectfully in front of the desk. ” Sir, the Everett family’s messenger just sent us an invite.”

Spencer’s head was buried in some documents. Without even looking up, he asked coldly, “What invite?” “On the 28th, the Everetts are organizing a piano recital. They’ve invited all the aristocratic families in Whiteloop City and also the nationally renowned pianist, Brian Olsen.

“Apparently, the event is to help the Everett family’s youngest son, Peter Everett, join the National Piano Association,” Mack explained concisely.

Then, something popped into his head. “Oh, by the way, the secret guards just relayed new information about Mrs. Layton.”

When Spencer heard this, his hands stilled, and he finally looked up from his work.

Mack thought to himself, “Saying Mrs. Layton’s name is a pretty effective way to get my boss to stop working.”

“According to the secret guards, the Johnsons cornered Mrs. Layton at her office today. We’re not sure what they said exactly, but the security guards ended up kicking them out. Ultimately, they left humiliated.”

Spencer’s gaze darkened at that. “Next time you give me an update, get the priorities right! You’re not getting your bonus this month! Get out!”

With that, he continued to work.

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+25 BONUS

Chapter 30

Mack instantly froze. He wanted to try to earn it back, but Spencer wasn’t even giving him a chance. Devastated, he walked out of the office.

He returned to his secretary’s office and let out a long sigh, grieving over his monthly bonus. His heart was utterly broken. That was five figures gone!

After Kent heard about what happened, he gave Mack a pitying look. Then, he said gratefully, “Thanks, man! Your five–figure sacrifice will keep my own pocket safe.”

Mack rolled his eyes as if to say, “Can you not be an asshole?”

Today, he learned his lesson–next time, anything that had to do with Lucille would be the highest priority!

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