55 vouchers
Emeric had just managed to snag his prize, barely had time to enjoy it, and already someone else was after it. No wonder Daron showed up in person. Emeric smiled, told Chuck to take care of it quickly, then headed back to his office.
When Chuck got downstairs, he saw Henry sitting in his car. His assistant was with him.
Chuck walked straight up to Henry’s car and tapped lightly on the window. Henry froze for a second when he saw Chuck, then opened the door and got out. “Mr. Styles,” Henry said.
Chuck nodded, looking apologetic. “Sorry, Mr. Gill, for making you wait. I was planning to come over and pick up your car for repairs, but I didn’t expect you to bring it downstairs yourself.”
Henry’s eyes flashed with something unreadable. He’d met Chuck a few times before. “Mr. Styles, didn’t you work for Emeric? How’d you end up with Ms. Finley?”
Chuck just smiled, dodging Henry’s question and smoothly changing the subject to the car. “Mr. Gill, aside from the rear, is there anything else wrong with your car? I can fix it all for you.”
There was a flicker of embarrassment in Henry’s eyes. He’d thought Marina had no assistant, but it turned out she had, and it was Chuck.
The repair costs of his car were barely a drop in the bucket for him, and Henry clung to this issue as an excuse to spend more time around Marina.
But he hadn’t expected Marina to be so important in the Finley Group. After all, his factory was only surviving thanks to the rent he got from Finley Group. Holding onto this just made him look petty.
Henry immediately put on a smile. “Mr. Styles, sorry about this. Looks like I made a fuss over nothing. But it’s been ages since I last saw Marina, so…
“You know what I mean, right, Mr. Styles?” Henry said, a hint of meaning in his voice.
Henry left it at that, just motioning for his assistant to take the car away. He was sure Chuck caught his drift.
“I’ll handle the repairs myself, no need to bother you, Mr. Styles,” Henry said.
Chuck nodded, still wearing that apologetic smile. “Appreciate it, Mr. Gill,” he said, “Just have your assistant send me the bill, and we’ll cover it.”
Henry brushed it off with a smile, looking all easygoing. “No need, really. It’s just pocket change, nothing to fuss over. Besides, we’re still partners,” he said.
Then, Henry leaned in, lowering his voice, “Hey, Mr. Styles, I gotta ask. What’s Marina’s deal with the Finley Group, anyway? Can you fill me in a little? I’d hate to offend her accidentally.”
Chuck knew that since Marina hadn’t given Henry her number, she clearly wanted to keep her distance from him. He didn’t spill anything about who Marina really was, just answered calmly, “Since you know her, Mr. Gill, maybe you should ask her yourself.”
Henry gave an awkward laugh. “Marina and I were classmates back in high school. It’s been years since we last met, so things are a bit distant now. That’s why I was hoping to learn a bit about her from someone else.”
Chuck just shrugged, looking unfazed. “I get it, but I’m afraid I can’t really do you that favor, Mr. Gill.”
Henry could only give a wry smile and say, “Yeah, I get it. No worries.”
5:46 pm PPP
Chapter 468
After a few more polite exchanges, Chuck said he had work to do and headed back to the Finley Group. Henry watched Chuck walk away, and the smile vanished from his face.
His assistant waited until Chuck was completely out of sight before pulling the car back around. “Sir…”
Henry opened the car door, got in, and spoke in a deep, serious voice, “Marina’s background isn’t as simple as it looks. Diz into her connection with the Finley family. I want to know what’s really going on.”
Henry felt like he was on a rollercoaster. He already had a pretty good idea in his gut, but he just had to know for sure.
The assistant said quietly, “Sir, if Ms. Marina really has ties to the Finley family, then Winnie would probably know best. Why not just call and ask her?
“Give her a ring and see what she says. A flicker of annoyance crossed Henry’s eyes.
Winnie was his relative, just a few months younger than him. But around Winnie, he always ended up getting pushed around. She acted like she was the boss, never gave him the time of day: She even treated him like her personal errand boy.
Over the years, Henry had finally scored some wins with his projects, earning a bit of respect back from his family. Only then did Winnie finally stop bossing him around so much.
Henry couldn’t help but feel irritated just thinking about Winnie acting all high and mighty. But just like his assistant said, if he wanted to figure out what Marina’s deal really was, the fastest way was to call Winnie.
Henry took a deep breath and finally dialed Winnie’s number. Winnie let the phone ring for ages, only picking up right as it was about to go to voicemail. “What do you want?” Winnie’s voice was dripping with arrogance.
Winnie was stealing the spotlight in their family. Rumor had it that the chairman was prepping her to take over the reins. After all, Mila had lost her shot after she married into the Clark family. With Mila out of the running. Winnie barely bothered to give Henry the time of day anymore.
Henry was seriously fed up with Winnie, but since he needed her help, he put on a humble front. “Winnie, I was hoping you could tell me a bit about Marina.”
The second Henry mentioned Marina’s name, Winnie’s hand clenched tight around her phone. Her voice was cold. “Oh? What do you want to know?”
Henry’s eyes lit up with surprise. As it turned out, Winnie knew her. He got straight to the point. “Is Marina the daughter of the Finley family?” he asked.
Winnie scoffed, her voice flat and uninterested. “You seriously called me just to ask such a lame question?”
Henry’s eyes flashed with annoyance, but he lowered his voice, trying to sound friendly as he forced a smile. “I just figured you’ve been in Vrufield for years and know way more than I do, so I thought I’d ask. Marina and I were classmates back in high school, and we just happened to bump into each other yesterday. Naturally, I got a little curious,” he explained.
“I’m working with the Finley Group now, and I noticed she holds a pretty important position there. So I wanted to ask, what exactly is her relationship with the Finley family?”
“If you’re busy or don’t want to say, that’s totally fine,” he added.
Just as Henry was about to hang up, Winnie suddenly spoke up, “If you and Marina were classmates in high school, then you must know Yara, too, right?”
Henry paused, his hand hovering over the phone, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. Winnie had been living in Vrufield for years. There was no way she’d ever know someone like Yara, who came from such a humble background. And with Winnie being so high and mighty, someone like Yara would never be anywhere near her social circle.
5:46 pm PP P
Chapter 468
Henry hesitated, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes as he replied, “Yeah, of course. Back in high shot. Yers and Marina were pretty tight. They were best friends back then”
Winnie gave a derisive snort. “Friends? More like frenemies. You seriously don’t know? Marina got Yaris dat borted. looking at more than ten years in prison!”
Henry went quiet. He had no clue about any of this. After he and Lavern stopped talking much, he’d pretty much lost track of all the drama between those guys.
But he did know Yara and Lavern had something going on behind the scenes. One time, when Lavern came to Vrfeld box business, Henry figured he’d bring Marina along, so he asked Lavern to join him for dinner. But Lavern showed up with Yere instead, and the way those two acted, they looked just like a couple.
Winnie saw Henry fall silent and couldn’t help but tease him, her voice laced with mockery, “Henry, don’t tell me you’ve que a thing for Marina?”
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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.
