Chapter 31
Chapter 31
“Really?” Evadne touched her cheek with her right hand, which was hot like a little heater, and she immediately turned her face away in shyness.
“Maybe it’s because I had a bit of booze, feeling a little tipsy.”
“You’re heading to the wine cellar now, and your face is already flushed without even drinking?” Jason began to get curious. He was shrewd and efficient at work, but in his private life, he was like an innocent big boy, completely oblivious to the fact that Evadne was in a state of romantic infatuation.
“You’re asking too many questions.” Evadne gave a coquettish roll of her eyes, and then turned around and left.
With a face full of grievance, Jason, not knowing where he had offended Evadne, could only follow her like a faithful little dog.
They arrived at the wine cellar, which stored nearly a thousand bottles of red wine, all prepared by Cas slus for her, because he knew she liked to drink red wine. Each of these wines was quite valuable. Many of them were raritles bought at auctions, some of which even Emeric didn’t have, but Evadne had dozens. If she sold these wines, she could afford to buy two detached villas in Elmsworth.
Evadne leisurely browsed the wine rack and took a liking to a bottle of La Romanee-Conti. She tiptoed to reach for it, but still couldn’t get it.
Jason walked over to her and with his tall figure, he easily helped her get the wine bottle. They were too close, and Jason could distinctly smell the sweet milk fragrance in Evadne’s hair. Instantly, his heart raced, and a blush spread across his face.
“Here you go, Ms. Evadne.”
“Having a secretary who’s tall is great, even saves the ladder.”
But the ideal man in her mind should be taller, like Thaddeus. Evadne cursed in her heart. That annoying man, just thinking of him gave her a headache.
“Ms. Evadne, let me open the wine for you, it might be inconvenient with one hand…”
Evadne suddenly hit her plaster cast against the corner of the table, breaking it and revealing her smooth forearm.
“Annoying, I’ve been wanting to tear it off.”
Jason was startled.
“In the past on the battlefield, I often saw people’s legs blown off by bombs, and soldiers, who were joking with me in the morning, when they were brought back in the afternoon, their bodies were full of bullet holes, and half of their faces were blown off.”
Evadne calmly described the cruelty of war, her eyes revealing a sense of calmness from having experienced life and death. Jason was surprised, he couldn’t imagine how this Ms. Evadne, who enjoyed a luxurious life at home, had lived through these years.
The chat group was bustling again.
Elvis: “Amold, it’s understandable that our big brother is too busy to have time, but you, a judicial department guy, why are you also so numb? Do you know that Thaddeus sent people to secretly decrypt our plan? Thanks to my quick response, I encrypted the files. He wants to compete with me? Maybe in his next life.”
Evadne was startled, her almond-shaped eyes widened.
Arnold: “Did he suspect something?! Wait, who let you call me by my name? Call me big brother.”
Elvis: “No, you only came out a few minutes earlier than me. If I was the first one to be taken out of mom’s belly, I would be your big brother.”
Arnold: “Even if I’m one second earlier than you, I’m still your big brother. Call me big brother.”
Elvis: “Arnold.”
Arnold: “Do you want a beating?”
Elvis: “A fight? Even if I give you both hands, you can’t beat me.”
Evadne:” Enough! You two are really childish.”
Once Evadne spoke, the two brothers immediately quieted down.
Evadne: “Thaddeus has conducted an investigation on us, so he may have doubts about your identity. You’ve intervened twice to protect me, and he might realize you’re not the real Cas sius.”
Evadne’s eyes sparkled with wisdom. She gently swirled the ruby-red wine in her gla**.
“In that case, you don’t need to hide anymore,” Evadne said.
He wanted an answer, so she’d give him one.
The weekend arrived quickly.
Due to public pressure, the Stirling group finally held a press conference at a five-star hotel, attracting many journalists.
Although the Stirling group was just a regional second-tier enterprise, because Acacia had previously announced her engagement to Thaddeus, it made the Stirling group the center of public attention overnight.
At this moment, across from the hotel’s main entrance, a black Maybach was parked by the roadside. Thaddeus was watching the live stream of the press conference on his iPad with a cold expression.
“Mr. Thaddeus, I think the reason Mr. Frederic has been looking for you these days is probably to remind you not to ignore the Stirling group.” Gordon said worriedly. “Your constant opposition to Mr. Frederic, won’t it affect your father-son relationship? I’m worried Elspeth will take the opportunity to whisper something in your ear.”
“Even if she says something, I won’t help the Stirling group.” Thaddeus was expressionless, even cold, “As for the father-son relationship, it doesn’t exist in the first place, so how could it be affected.”
Gordon sighed silently. Although Thaddeus seemed glamorous, in the Abernathy family, he was always a lonely person, and no one knew his inner pain.
Soon the press conference began.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Ives, dressed in a black suit, looked very dignified as he walked up to the stage. His face bore an expression of anger and injustice, as if he had been greatly wronged.
“We all know that our Vintage Elegance under the Stirling group has 32 stores in Elmsworth and more than 400 stores nationwide, and has always been recognized as a good brand in the industry. This negative news is the result of someone maliciously hyping it up, deliberately tarnishing the corporate image of our Stirling group.” he said.
Gordon looked at the screen, curling his lip in disdain, “Even though their product clearly has serious quality issues, he still has the audacity to act all high and mighty. He is truly shameless.”
Thaddeus didn’t say a word, but his furrowed brows tightened even more.
“But it was the K Group’s hotels that first revealed Vintage Elegance’s quality issues. Everyone knows about the K Group’s reputation. They’ve never stooped to smear other brands to compete in all these years. So I think Vintage Elegance’s problem is not as simple as just a smear campaign, right?” A reporter suddenly asked, his words laced with barbs.
Ives’ face darkened in an instant, “Vintage Elegance has been established for over a decade. This is the first time such a problem has occurred, I’m extremely worried and deeply upset.”
“So, Mr. Ives, are you admitting there is a quality issue? Are you admitting to cutting corners? And if I remember correctly, there was a serious complaint last year. I believe everyone here should remember that.” The reporter added another comment, stirring everyone’s memory.
Ives’ face turned from dark to blue, his anger making him clench his fists unnoticed.
Meanwhile, in the underground parking lot, Evadne sat in her sports car, watching the live broadcast on her phone, a smile playing on her red lips. No one would have guessed that the well-prepared reporter was her plant.
“In the two years since Ives took over as CEO, he’s been embezzling company funds, doing as he pleases, and the group has had issues frequently. Their fortune is almost squandered away.” As he spoke, Jason let out a contemptuous laugh, “I didn’t expect him to have the guts to blatantly lie in a press conference. Does he think no one has dirt on him?”
“He believes he’s holding the trump card. That’s why he dares to spout nonsense.” Evadne squinted slyly, extracting a piece of chocolate from Jason’s suit pocket, tearing open the wrapper and popping a piece into her mouth. “Just watch. Once we push him a bit more, he’ll bring out his big guns. That’s when our opportunity will come.”