Chapter 129
Chapter 129
She’d just spun some nonsense to get Lavern to give up on her and stop pestering her.
From the look on his face, it was obvious he’d caught every word.
Marina awkwardly turned her face away, avoiding eye contact with the man standing at the door.
Daron smirked, shifted his gaze, and glanced down at Lavern, who looked completely crushed.
“Here to talk business, Mr. Ross. You didn’t forget our meeting, did you?” Daron said, his tone cool.
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Lavern froze for a second, then remembered he’d messaged Daron before getting wasted last night–basically agreeing to sell his shares in Ross Group and hoping Daron would stop putting pressure on the company.
But when he tried to call Marina about it, he heard some guy on her end saying he was going to bed, and that messed Lavern up so much he totally blanked on the business deal.
Lavern took a deep breath, gave Marina a quick look, steadied himself, and motioned for Daron to come along.
“Mr. Zamora, this way. Let’s talk in my office,” Lavern said.
Daron nodded.
Lavern led the way, while Daron shot a glance into Marina’s office. He caught her sitting at her desk, making a point not to meet his eyes. With a smirk, he whipped out his phone and fired off a message to her.
Daron: [So, did we really do everything we were supposed to–and maybe a few things we weren’t? Still covered in hickeys? Funny, I don’t remember any of that.]
Once the message was sent, he tucked his phone away.
Marina didn’t check her phone until Daron was gone, then finally picked it up to see his message.
As soon as she read what Daron sent, her face turned beet red.
She could only give the desk a helpless tap, had to take a few deep breaths to calm down, and finally shot back a reply to
Daron.
Marina: [I was just making stuff up.]
Daron: [If you feel like you got played, don’t keep it bottled up. I’m not the type to bail when things get messy.]
Marina could only stare at the screen, completely at a loss for words.
Lavern led Daron into his office, gestured for him to take a seat, and then had his secretary brew a cup of tea for Daron, setting it down in front of him.
“Mr. Zamora, before we sign the contract, I’ve got one small request,” Lavern said.
Daron didn’t even look up from his phone. “Let’s hear it.”
Seeing Daron’s reaction, Lavern didn’t bother beating around the bush and just came out with it.
“If there are any changes in Ross Group’s management, I hope you’ll support me, Mr. Zamora,” Lavern said.
Daron didn’t respond.
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Lavern took a deep breath and pressed on.
“Mr. Zamora, you gotta trust me. I know I can make Ross Group even better. I’ve been running the show since day one, always making sure we move forward. Just back me up, alright? Stand with me on this,” Lavern said.
Only then did Daron finally put his phone away and look straight at Lavern.
There wasn’t a trace of emotion in Daron’s eyes, but Lavern felt an almost suffocating pressure bearing down on him.
He put on a brave face and met Daron’s gaze, but the tension was written all over him.
Daron stayed silent for what felt like ages, and Lavern finally looked away, starting to take stock of himself.
Only then did he realize how unpresentable he must look.
He parted his lips, wanting to explain, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
No matter what had led to his current state, there was simply no way to justify how undignified he looked right now.
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Daron finally spoke, his voice cool and distant. “I only work with those who are truly strong, Mr. Ross. Whether you qualify is still uncertain. I’m here to buy shares, not to form alliances.
“Someone who can’t accept the consequences of their own mistakes, who acts unreasonable and refuses to take responsibility. Well, I don’t consider that person strong,” Daron added.
Lavern’s face went rigid, unable to meet Daron’s gaze. His hands clenched at his sides, and he stood there, swallowing his humiliation.
Daron looked away and simply raised his hand, letting his lawyer take it from there with Lavern.
The lawyer sat down, all business, pulled a contract from his briefcase, and handed it to Lavern.
“Mr. Ross, here’s the contract we’ve prepared. If you have no objections, please sign at the bottom,” the lawyer said.
Lavern took the agreement from the lawyer and shot a quick look at his secretary standing behind him.
The secretary got the hint and quickly left the office to bring in Bruno, the lawyer.
Bruno carefully reviewed the contract, made sure everything was in order, and then gave Lavern a nod.
Before signing, Lavern couldn’t help but glance at Daron one last time, his voice low and earnest.
“Mr. Zamora, I know I’ve been off my game lately because of some personal issues, but please believe me—I’ll pull myself together soon and put everything I’ve got into the job,” Lavern said.
Daron didn’t bother looking at him, his voice flat and distant.
“Isn’t that the bare minimum for a company manager?” Daron said,
Lavern was silent.
Daron cast a sidelong glance at the lawyer.
“Handle it,” he said.
“Understood, Mr. Zamora,” the lawyer replied with a respectful nod.
Daron stood up and walked out of Lavern’s office.
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Chapter 129
Seeing this, Lavern bit back his frustration and had no choice but to quickly sign his name on the contract.
The lawyer collected the contract and passed a copy to Lavern.
Lavern’s face was grim, and he didn’t bother to take it.
“I’ll take it, Mario,” Bruno said, noticing Lavern was holding back his frustration and quickly reached out to accept the
contract.
Since he and Mario were alumni–and Bruno was actually Mario’s senior from school–he made sure to be polite. You never know, if his job at Ross Group didn’t last, maybe his old school connection could help him get into Zamora Group’s legal
team.
Mario wasn’t bothered by Lavern’s mood at all. He just nodded and handed the contract over to Bruno.
“I’ve already set up the notarization for this afternoon. Mr. Ross, are you coming with me, or do you want Bruno to handle it for you?” Mario asked.
Bruno looked over at Lavern, a bit caught off guard–he hadn’t heard anything about this arrangement before.
Lavern was totally fed up and couldn’t be bothered to deal with all this legal hassle with Zamora Group’s lawyer. He turned to Bruno and said,
“You go with him this afternoon.”
Bruno nodded.
“Got it, Mr. Ross,” he replied.
—
With a clear answer, Mario stood up from the couch, picked up his briefcase, and got ready to leave.
“Alright, I’ll head out then. I’ll get in touch with you this afternoon, Bruno,” he said.
Bruno nodded.
After Mario left, Lavern slumped back on the couch, pressing his hands to his head. He shoved his hair back in frustration, his voice low and heavy as he spoke to Bruno.
“You can go too,” he said.
Bruno left the office respectfully, closing the door behind him.
Not long after, the sound of stuff getting slammed around came from inside the office.
Mario was still waiting for the elevator when he heard the commotion behind him. He raised an eyebrow, and as Bruno stepped out, he remarked dryly, “Mr. Ross seems a bit unstable right now.”
‘Honestly, with his love life and career both tanking, it’d be weird if he was holding it together, Bruno thought to himself.
Bruno gave an awkward smile, and as soon as the elevator doors slid open, he quickly motioned for his old school senior to step inside.
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Chapter 130
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
