Chapter 121 A Blossom in
Chapter 121 A Blossom in the Wasteland of My Heart
Cyril was swamped with work. Right after uttering those words, he hung up the phone.
I opened the app on my phone and, sure enough, there it was–the familiar scene.
It was as if Cyril had anticipated my move. The moment I opened the surveillance feed, I saw his hand gently brushing against a cufflink.
It felt as though he was tenderly caressing my head through the screen.
A warmth spread through my chest, and my eyes crinkled with affection.
In the midst of my heartache over my sister, each time Cyril appeared, it was like a single flower blooming in
the desolate wasteland of my heart.
How could I not adore him?
I sent him an emoji, a quick gesture of my response.
Then, I heard his low chuckle, followed by a murmur, “The show is about to begin.”
With a light heart, I popped open a bottle of juice and settled in to watch the unfolding events through Cyril’s
perspective.
He was towering, and from his vantage point, everything looked different compared to how I saw it.
Thanks to my insistence on having Darian choose Cyril as the partner, Cyril’s standing within the Hartman family had skyrocketed. Even when visiting Charles’s domain, he no longer met with the usual resistance.
Cyril moved faster than I expected with our plans. I noticed the atmosphere in the Hartman household was oppressively tense, with servants bowing their heads, trying to stay invisible.
I raised an eyebrow. Was Cyril already putting our plan into motion so soon after I’d filled him in?
Sure enough, as Cyril stepped forward, I got a clear view of the scene inside Charles’s room.
Cadell stood beside him, head hanging low, looking completely defeated.
Charles, on the other hand, was scowling, his eyes burning with rage.
I watched as Cyril hesitated for a moment, then asked with feigned concern, “Father, what’s happened? Has Cadell caused trouble again?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Cyril was a master at playing the innocent role. Had I not been in on the secret, I too would have believed he genuinely cared about Cadell.
At the sight of Cyril, Charles’s expression softened, though he still gave a dismissive snort. “It’s all because
Cadell is a fool!”
I raised an eyebrow. Did Charles leave me out of it out of fear of angering Cyril?
Cyril feigned concern and took a seat beside Charles. “Father, what’s going on? Can you tell me?”
From his position directly across from Cadell, I could clearly see the expression on his face.
He looked completely adrift, his eyes clouded with bewilderment, as if he couldn’t wrap his head around how he’d ended up in this mess.
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When Charles heard Cyril’s question, he let out an angry snort. “A while back, he found a woman Phillp fancied and decided to gift her to him. But who could’ve guessed she’d pull the rug out from under him!?
Charles‘ voice was laced with barely contained rage, each word dripping with venom. “She won Philip’s affection and then started badmouthing Cadell in his ear! Now Philip can’t stand him, and the deal we were counting on is toast!”
Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I’d been on edge, fearing Charles might smell a rat, but it seemed he was completely in the dark.
He kept on venting to Cyril, his voice trembling with righteous fury. “That moron Cadel!! He couldn’t charm his way out of a paper bag! Now it’s all gone down the drain! Sending her to Philip was meant to rake in a fortune for us, maybe even help cover the losses from those missing confidential files. But no, he blew it big time! Now we’ve got nothing, and the original deal’s gone too!”
Charles was genuinely furious. After his tirade, he flung his teacup at Cadell, and it shattered against his head with a resounding crack.
Cadell didn’t have time to dodge. The teacup smashed into his forehead, splitting the skin and sending a crimson river cascading down his face.
He looked like a complete mess, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of schadenfreude.
Then I heard Cyril’s voice, laced with feigned concern. “This is a major blow for us. Even Prosperity Group’s
help won’t patch up the hole in our finances.”
That was precisely Charles‘ biggest concern!
If the trade secrets hadn’t been stolen, losing this deal wouldn’t have been a big deal. But now, with the
secrets stolen and the project scrapped, the financial bleeding just keeps getting worse. It was a serious
problem for the entire Hartman family.
Thinking of this, Charles seemed even more displeased with Cadell, shooting him a venomous glare.
Cadell, visibly guilt–ridden, couldn’t muster a word in his defense. He just kept his head down, trying to make
himself as invisible as possible.
Cyril’s eyes gleamed with a fleeting spark of calculation, and then, in a soothing tone, he inquired, “Father, do
you know who she is? Perhaps I could approach her. There might still be a chance to salvage this mess.”
At those words, the old man’s eyes darkened, as if deep in thought.
I knew exactly what he was thinking–whether to reveal the Hartman family’s secret dealings to Cyril. After all, until now, everyone had kept him in the dark.
But this was a key part of our plan. Cyril needed to bring the knowledge of the family’s operations into the open to pave the way for what came next.
After a brief three–second pause, the old man finally spoke, his voice calm but probing. “I recall
you and Aurora were quite close. What’s your relationship like now?”
e when
Cyril’s tone was flat, completely neutral, as he replied, “There’s nothing between us now. She was just my employer. We haven’t been in contact for a while.”
I knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but hearing it still stung in a way I couldn’t quite explain. A strange,
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unsettling feeling rose in me, and I frowned, forcing it down.
Then, the screen of my phone shifted slightly. A slender finger came into view, gently blocking the lens, then brushing it lightly–as if to comfort me from a distance.
In that instant, I couldn’t help but smile, my mood lifting instantly.
But the old man wasn’t done. His voice cut through the moment, sharp and skeptical, “Is that so? And how do you plan to prove it to me?”
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