Chapter 268 A Knock at the Door
Chapter 268 A Knock at the Door
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Louis watched her, relaxed and cheerful, and felt his mood lift; finally, he could fully throw himself into work.
The two of them contentedly focused on their respective tasks–until a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.” Louis‘ train of thought was interrupted, and a trace of irritation flickered across his face; he had specifically said not to come in unless it was important.
Sure enough, the moment he saw Freya sit upright, her posture suddenly formal, all trace of her earlier ease gone, he had a bad feeling.
The person who entered wasn’t a senior executive–it was Derek.
There was something off about Derek’s expression as he walked in. Freya looked at him curiously, making him want to shrink back through the door. Her instincts immediately told her something wasn’t right.
Louis‘ brow creased slightly. “What is it?”
Derek wasn’t the type to overstep. He wouldn’t have lasted this long by Louis‘ side if he didn’t understand boundaries; he had been personally trained by Grandpa Qin and had weathered storms with Louis for years. Even enemies didn’t bother trying to buy him off–they knew it was impossible.
So for him to show up looking like this? It was downright strange. Even back when Louis was on the verge of bankruptcy, Derek hadn’t looked like this.
Derek glanced at Freya and saw that she was watching him with interest. He quickly forced a smile, then turned to Louis and said, carefully,
“Ms. Maria is here at the company asking to see you.”
Freya instinctively felt that whoever this Maria was, she must have something to do with Louis.
But when she looked at Louis, his face showed no sign of change–still calm, still composed.
“Let her in.”
Derek hesitated. Truth be told, he had tried to keep Maria out, but she wasn’t someone who could be easily dismissed. He suspected she’d caught wind of something and was worried she
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Chapter 268 A Knock at the Door
might cause a scene, so he’d had no choice but to come to Louis–despite the discomfort crawling up his spine.
Freya had completely lost interest in whatever she’d been doing. She sat quietly, waiting for Maria to arrive.
Louis had no intention of offering an explanation; Freya wasn’t the kind to jump to conclusions. She was just curious about what kind of person could make Derek so visibly uncomfortable.
Maria was a peculiar presence. The moment Freya saw her, her heart skipped a beat.
Was she pretty? Hard to say. But she definitely wasn’t ugly–ugly people rarely managed to pull off fire- engine red hair and heavy smoky eye makeup. Was it smoky eye makeup? Freya wasn’t sure–she didn’t know much about makeup–but the look was definitely loud.
The moment Maria walked in, she spotted Freya and froze. Then she curled her lip in a sneer and, though she addressed Louis, her words were meant to sting, “No wonder Derek wouldn’t let me in. So, Mr. Graham, you’re sneaking off to see your sweetheart in here. Ha. This one- she must be that airheaded little darling you haven’t even divorced yet, right?”
“None of your concern. Mind your tone,” Louis replied coolly. “What do you want?”
“My sister’s in the hospital, and you can’t even be bothered to visit? All because of this little airhead?” Ms. Maria’s voice was thick with scorn and fury, unable to hide it even if she tried.
“She’s good for nothing but spending money and looking pretty. My sister fought with our family for you–helped you raise funds, ran around trying to pull strings for you–and now she’s lying in a hospital bed, and you won’t even show your face.”
“First of all, your sister helped me of her own volition. I never accepted her help. Second, that fight with your family? Pure performance–she just didn’t want your family to get blamed if I accepted her help and still failed to make a comeback. And third, her illness is her own problem. She and I share no blood, no relationship–why would I visit her?”
Louis‘ voice was frigid; the chill and impatience in it unmistakable.
“I know exactly what game the Tate family is playing. Don’t test my patience again. Out of respect for your mother–who once saved my grandfather’s life–I’ll offer you one reminder, you’re not young anymore. Grow some sense. Don’t let yourself be used by others. Favors have limits; they can’t withstand your constant wear and tear. Since you’re here, you might as well pass along a message to your sister and your father, the Tate family is not on my list of new partners. And if they can’t learn to behave, they won’t even be able to hold onto what they have now.”
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Chapter 268 A Knock at the Door
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Freya didn’t fully understand the relationship between Louis and the Tate family. But what she did know was that Louis had never spoken to her in that cold, clipped tone before. She hadn’t thought much of it in the past, but hearing him speak that way now–it struck her just how kind he had always been to her.
Yeah… if Louis ever spoke to me like that, I’d be terrified. Freya thought with a shiver.
Freya found it unsettling, and Maria didn’t look much better. She’d never been spoken to like that by Louis before either. Her fiery confidence fizzled out instantly; though she still held her head high, trying to save face, the fight had gone out of her.
