Paple 51 Hipate Extete
Chapter 51 Private Estate
I discussed the details of the plan with Edmund, and we had a meal together before I left, feeling satisfied.
With Edmund’s help, I was confident that Cadell would face a big setback with Lorna.
As a result of this matter, my communication with Edmund became, more frequent. Most of our conversations were focused on the progress of the plan, there was little room for casual chat.
To ensure everything would go smoothly, I had arranged for an insider within the Hartman family to report Lorna’s movements at all times. When necessary, this person could even steer her into making certain
decisions.
Once everything was set up, it was time for me to meet Philip.
During this period, Charles had been anxious about reversing the negative comments online. Despite his efforts, he had little success. He couldn’t even figure out who was behind it and had to spend a large sum of money deleting the videos.
When we met, his face looked terrible–he seemed ten years older than the last time I saw him.
I couldn’t help but glance at him and almost laughed out loud.
I pretended to be concerned and asked, “Charles, have you been resting well lately? You look exhausted.”
Hartman gritted his teeth and forced a smile. “As you know, Cadell has been causing me a lot of trouble
recently. Dealing with all this has left me a bit overwhelmed. Aurora, I hope you are not involved in any way,
are you? If this continues, I’m not sure if I’ll even get to see Philip.”
I raised an eyebrow, thinking, ‘Was he trying to threaten me with the opportunity to meet Philip?‘
I couldn’t be bothered to respond. Instead, I smiled mockingly and said, “So, are you saying all this to make
me go back on my word?”
Our deal was already secured by a contract.
If Charles failed, I could easily make Cadell’s affair resurface.
Hearing my words, Charles hesitated for a moment. “Don’t worry, since I’ve already promised you, I’ll make
sure to keep my word.”
I didn’t reply, just giving a cold smile.
Seeing my lack of reaction, Charles‘ face darkened even more. He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger,
and said, “Well, since you’re ready, let’s go meet Mr. Hodge.”
“Wait.” I called out to Charles, casually saying, “Someone hasn’t arrived yet.”
Charles immediately furrowed his brow. “Aurora, I hope you understand that Mr. Hodge isn’t someone you can
just meet whenever you like.”
I sneered lightly, “Charles, don’t worry. The person I’m waiting for is just my personal bodyguard.”
Upon hearing that I had a bodyguard with me, Charles‘ expression soured further, as though he wanted to
reprimand me, but before he could say anything, Cyril walked in.
He spoke in a gentle tone, his voice a bit apologetic, “Sorry, I’m late.”
|||
O
<
1/3
Papte 51 Private Estate
I smiled, “It’s not too late. You’ve arrived just in time.”
Then I turned to Charles, “My bodyguard has arrived, Charles. Let’s go.”
Charles, who had been furious just a moment ago, seemed to lose all his anger upon seeing Cyril.
He furrowed his brow and asked Cyril, “How did you become Aurora’s bodyguard?”
Cyril, as if he had only just noticed Charles, showed a surprised expression before explaining, “Miss Wenmir paid me ten million dollars to protect her for a month. Father, you should know, I’m always loyal to my
employers.”
Charles‘ face stiffened slightly, realizing that Cyril was using his Knightfall Group shares to threaten him, but
he didn’t know how to respond..
In the end, Charles gave a cold snort. I clearly saw a flash of coldness and sharpness in his eyes.
It seemed Charles‘ attitude towards Cyril was far from simple. He appeared to be wary of this capable
illegitimate son. After all, Cyril not only had exceptional abilities, but he was also hard to control and held
shares in the Hartman family, making him seem like someone ready to take over at any moment. It would be
unreasonable for Charles not to be cautious about him.
From Charles‘ reaction, it seemed he had intentions of taking both me and Cyril down.
I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Cyril. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a quick look, both of us
understanding each other without a word.
We both knew that Charles was no longer the person who could easily conceal his intentions–this had
become very obvious.
And we had no intention of avoiding it.
In that moment, though my mind was full of thoughts, in reality, it was only three seconds.
Charles sighed, speaking in a tone that mixed helplessness with a bit of kindness to Cyril, “Isn’t there enough
work in the family business? Why are you back to being a bodyguard? Since that’s the case, go with Aurora.”
I suppressed a mocking smile in my eyes. Charles sounded as if he was doing Cyril a favor.
Cyril didn’t pay him any attention. Instead, he stood firmly by my side, signaling his stance.
Charles seemed even angrier, but because I was present, he dared not say anything harsh. He could only
clench his teeth silently.
He didn’t say more, simply leading us to our destination.
This was an estate that didn’t seem like a place for hosting guests–it was more of a private estate.
I furrowed my brow, alert. My thumb pressed against the ring on my index finger, where there was a small
mechanism I had prepared just in case I needed a quick escape from Philip.
Had this estate really been Philip’s, things would have been even more complicated than I had imagined.
Sensing my hesitation, Charles smiled, his tone friendly, “Don’t worry, Aurora. This estate is specifically for Mr. Hodge. Aside from him and a few distinguished guests, no one else will come. It’s completely safe.”
He paused, his gaze turning playful as he looked at me, “You’re just an ordinary person. Do you really think Mr. Hodge would do anything to you?”
O
<
