CEO's Regret After I Divorced Chapter 166 Have you thought about working with him

Author’s POV

Lucian was pulled from his thoughts by Eric’s voice."Sir, do you have any other questions?"

Lucian closed his eyes briefly before asking his final question.

"Did you have much contact with the Thompson family?"

Eric was surprised, not expecting this line of questioning.

"Not much, but when the two sides were arguing, the Thompson family seed quite pitiful."

"Being the weaker party, they still didn’t withhold our wages. The Thompson couple were good people."

Eric sighed, his tone sowhat mournful.

"Later I heard the Thompson family went bankrupt. I don’t know what happened to them afterward. Such a sha."

Each of these statents pierced Lucian like a knife, making his eyes redden.

"Enough. You may go."

Eric was startled but didn’t waste words. He turned and left the office.

Once outside, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In Lucian’s presence, he had truly feared saying sothing wrong and arousing suspicion.

The assistant was waiting by the door and approached when Eric erged.

"The boss said I could leave. About the money..."

The assistant pulled out another stack of cash from his pocket and handed it over.

"Keep this matter confidential."

"Of course, of course." Eric nodded eagerly as he took the money.

---

Kane sat in the study of his villa, listening as his assistant gave the latest report.

“Eric has already been sent back by Lucian’s n. Everything went smoothly.”

“Well done. Make sure Lin keeps his mouth shut. He knows what will happen if he doesn’t.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Kane. I had soone spell that out to him from the very beginning.”

“Good.”

A slow smile crept across Kane’s face, but his eyes glead cold and sharp.

“The stage is set. Now it’s ti for Lucian to perform.”

He leaned back slightly, fingers tapping against the armrest. “Get in touch with Sophie. Have her persuade Lucian to work with —so we can bring down Ryan together.”

The assistant nodded. “Understood. I’ll handle it right away.”

“Wait,” Kane said, his voice low and deliberate. “Make sure Miss Sophie keeps it subtle. I don’t want Lucian sensing anything unusual.”

“Lucian’s been able to endure humiliation for years. That kind of man doesn’t miss much. He’s dangerous.”

“I’ll make sure Miss Sophie understands,” the assistant replied quickly.

---

Sophie’s POV

I’d just hung up the phone with Kane’s assistant, my mind racing with questions.

Collaboration? Really? Wasn’t he planning to just sit back and watch the tigers fight? Why would he suddenly want to get involved personally?

"Miss Sophie, Mr. Blackwood also ntioned that you should subtly encourage Mr. West to approach him directly," his assistant had told .

My lips curved into a sly smile as I finally understood Ethan’s intentions. "I understand completely. Please tell Mr. Blackwood I’ll handle it promptly."

After disconnecting, I tossed my hair over my shoulder and grabbed the folder from my desk. I needed to visit headquarters. Word was that Ryan had returned, but without Serena. Even more interesting, according to the executive office gossip, Ryan seed to be in a terrible mood.

Those two must have had a fight. Perfect timing for to slip right in.

The elevator doors at Blackwood Enterprises dinged open, and I stepped out with my most charming smile plastered across my face.

"I’m here to deliver project docunts," I told Ryan’s assistant sweetly.

She gave a once-over and reached for the folder. "Mr. Blackwood is busy and doesn’t want to be disturbed. I can take those for you."

I frowned briefly before recovering my smile. "Is he in a bad mood? I actually ca to see Ryan. I haven’t seen him for several days now."

When the assistant started to object, I clicked my tongue impatiently. "It’s just a quick hello. Has Ryan specifically said he doesn’t want to see ? You work for him – you should know better than to micromanage who he speaks with."

The assistant looked flustered. "Please wait a mont, Miss Hart. I’ll check with him first."

"Yes, do hurry," I smiled sweetly.

As she disappeared behind Ryan’s door, I glanced at my reflection in the polished elevator doors. I looked perfect – my outfit carefully chosen to highlight my best features. Ryan would be reminded of what he was missing.

The assistant erged a few minutes later with a tight expression. "Mr. Blackwood says he doesn’t want to see anyone unless it’s Miss Quinn. If you have docunts or ssages, I can pass them along."

My face fell instantly. That bitch Serena still had him wrapped around her finger even when they were fighting. I handed over the folder roughly and stord toward the elevator. There was no point staying here now.

I hailed a cab and directed it straight to Lucian West’s office. Blackwood’s security had stopped monitoring weeks ago, so I had nothing to worry about.

When I arrived, I marched straight toward Lucian’s office. His assistant tried to intercept .

"Miss Hart, why are you coming here unannounced?"

"Relax, nobody’s watching . No one will know I ca here," I assured her. "I need to speak with Mr. West. It’s important."

After a brief hesitation, she nodded. "Wait here."

A few minutes later, I was ushered into Lucian’s impressive office. I took my ti looking around – this was my first visit to his workspace.

Not bad at all. The luxury befitted an overseas tycoon, even for a temporary headquarters in New York.

"Miss Hart, what brings you here?" Lucian asked coolly.

I didn’t bother with pleasantries and sat down uninvited. "Ryan and Serena have had a fight. I can’t get to Ryan right now, so I ca to you to figure out our next move."

Lucian raised an eyebrow. "How do you know they’ve argued? The news reports from the charity gala showed them looking quite... intimate."

I laughed sharply, tapping my temple. "Woman’s intuition, Mr. West. Couples fight all the ti, but those two are usually so damn logical. When they fight, it ans there’s a serious problem."

"And you ca all this way just to tell this?" he asked dismissively.

I forced a laugh. "Of course not." I leaned forward. "You’ve received the suburban developnt project files now. We’re partners in this, aren’t we? I’m curious – what exactly are you planning?"

Sothing had been bothering . If Lucian truly desired Serena, his actions didn’t match up. But if that wasn’t his motivation, what was he really after?

Thinking about what Kane had ntioned when giving those files, I had ford a bold theory. I was here to confirm it.

Lucian raised his eyes to et mine, his gaze ice-cold with warning.

I didn’t flinch. His reaction only convinced I was on the right track.

"Mr. West, we’re in the sa boat now. If you tell what’s really going on, I won’t spread it around. I might even be able to help you."

Lucian scoffed, clearly not buying my pitch.

What value could I, a woman Ryan had discarded, possibly offer? I could read that thought clearly on his face.

"Let guess," I continued boldly. "Your investigation, even getting close to Serena – it’s all about Blackwood Enterprises, isn’t it?"

His hand paused briefly – a tiny tell that I imdiately caught.

"I see I’m on the right track," I smirked. "Do you have so vendetta against Ryan?"

"Miss Hart, you’re asking too many questions. These matters don’t concern you."

"Don’t they?" I countered. "Our goals align perfectly. You want to bring down Blackwood Enterprises, and I want to get Ryan back. Aren’t we working toward the sa end?"

Lucian lifted his head and gave a searching look, assessing .

"What exactly are you trying to say today, Miss Hart?"

"I’m here to offer you so advice," I said, leaning in closer. "Have you heard of Kane Blackwood? He’s Ryan’s uncle. That man could be very useful to you."

I watched Lucian’s expression carefully. The subtle shift in his eyes told he was interested. I’d found my leverage point.

Ryan might be ignoring now, but with Kane and Lucian as my allies, I’d soon have everything I wanted.

And Serena Quinn would have nothing.

I offered him a faint smile, letting my voice drop just enough to sound like a suggestion rather than a sche.

"Have you thought about working with him?"