Chapter 35 The Price of Defiance
+8 Pearls
Inside Mr. Justin’s office at Kyree Group headquarters, the spacious and brightly lit room was heavy with tension, as if the air itself had turned solid. Rayden sat stiffly on the couch, hands clasped tightly, sweat beading on his forehead. Beside him sat Brian, his expression grim and unreadable. Across from them, Mr. Justin sipped coffee in silence, his eyes cold and sharp as
ice.
“Mr. Justin,” Rayden began cautiously, his voice full of strained politeness, “this really was a moment of poor judgment on Brian’s part. He’s still young–not quite steady yet. I promise it won’t happen again.”
Mr. Justin didn’t reply immediately. He set his cup down with a soft clink. “Mr. Layton, do you realize how much damage this incident has done to Kyree Group? Orchard Square’s stock has dropped three days in a row. We’ve lost more than money.
We’ve lost trust.”
Rayden’s smile faltered, but he forced it to stay. “You’re absolutely right. The Layton family clearly mishandled things. But given the long–standing partnership between our families, perhaps you could be a little lenient–just this once!”
Justin let out a cold snort. “Lenient? Mr. Layton, this isn’t something that can be resolved with a few polite words.”
Brian quickly jumped in. “Mr. Justin, I don’t think this situation is entirely Mr. Yale’s fault, Orchard Square had its own. management issues–that’s what gave our competitors an opening. Mr. Yale was only trying to help, and now he’s being scapegoated.”
Justin’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker in his eyes. “So you’re saying Mr. Yale shouldn’t be held accountable?”
“No, no!” Rayden quickly waved his hands. “That’s not what we meant. We just hope you’ll consider the bigger picture. Let’s not let one incident damage the relationship between our families. After all, we have several joint ventures in progress.”
Just then, the office door opened, and a tall, composed figure stepped in–Christopher. He glanced over the room with. practiced indifference, then walked calmly to Justin’s side and took a seat.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked with a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” Justin’s tone softened slightly.
“I heard there was trouble at Orchard Square. Thought I’d see if there was anything I could help with,” Christopher replied casually, though there was a subtle edge of probing in his voice.
Rayden immediately looked relieved. “Christopher, thank goodness you’re here! We were just struggling with how to handle all this.”
Christopher gave him a small, polite smile before turning to Justin. “I just think we shouldn’t let this become a standoff. Both sides stand to gain more by working together, don’t you think?”
Justin’s brow furrowed, but he said nothing.
At that moment, rapid footsteps echoed outside the door, and a flustered assistant rushed in, leaning in to whisper urgently in Justin’s ear.
“What?” Tu
“What?” Justin’s expression changed instantly. “Brian fainted?”
The assistant nodded. “The doctor suspects exhaustion. He needs to be taken to the hospital right away.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
Kayden was the first to recover. He leapt to his feet. “Mr. Justin, let me come with you to the hospital!”
“That’s not necessary. Justin waved him off, then turned to Christopher. “You stay here and handle the follow–up. I’m heading to the hospital.”
11:20 AM
Chapter 35 The Price of Defiance
+8 Pearls
Adeline had just stepped out of her room when she spotted a familiar and deeply unwelcome presence at the end of the corridor–Christopher. He leaned casually against a pillar, his dark, unreadable gaze locked on her, making her feel utterly
exposed.
She froze, holding his gaze for a long, tense moment before turning to leave. She had barely taken a few steps when his voice cut through the silence behind her.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
She didn’t answer. She just walked faster. But in the next second, a cold hand seized her wrist, yanking her to a stop.
“Let go of me!” she snapped, whirling around to glare at him. Her eyes, black as ink, blazed with fury.
Christopher didn’t flinch. If anything, he smiled faintly. “You’re still recovering, and you’re already wandering around like this? Aren’t you worried something might happen?”
“My life has nothing to do with you!” She tried to wrench her arm away, but he grabbed her again–this time dragging her into a nearby emergency stairwell. He slammed the door shut behind them, trapping her in the dim, narrow space.
“What the hell do you want?” Adeline shouted, struggling against him, but her strength was no match for his.
Christopher looked down at her. The elegant features that once seemed refined now wore a dark, menacing shadow. His voice dropped low and cold.
“Adeline, do you even know what you’re doing? Marrying Justin? Do you really think that’ll free you from the Layton family He leaned in, eyes narrowing. “Or have you just completely underestimated what kind of people the Kyree family really are?”
