Chapter 197: Still So Classless
"What’s all this?"
Zion Alden smiled. "To court a woman, of course." He walked toward Rachel Royce, rounding the desk to stand before her. Seeing her wary gaze, he gave a gentle laugh. "No need to be nervous. Even though you’ve hurt , Evelynn, I don’t bla you."
With that, he placed the roses on her desk, propped one hand on the edge, and leaned in close to Rachel.
His scent—a scent that she loathed, that repulsed her to her very core—washed over her.
A dark glint flickered in the man’s eyes. His voice was low and husky as he said, "What can I do? I just like you so much."
The next second,
SLAP!
Rachel grabbed a book from her desk and smacked it solidly across the man’s face. She shot to her feet, putting distance between them. "Don’t co near !"
Zion Alden slowly straightened up, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek. He reached up to wipe his cheek where the pages had scratched him. Seeing the faint trace of blood on his fingertip, he laughed instead of getting angry, his dark eyes filling with a chilling, crimson light that sent a shiver down the spine.
He suddenly took a step forward.
Rachel retreated.
But she was a step too slow. A powerful force gripped her wrist, and with a sharp tug, he pulled Rachel straight into his arms.
"Let go!"
Zion Alden’s large hand gripped the back of Rachel’s head.
Just as he lowered his head to make his next move,
a book was snapped shut with a heavy, piercingly clear thud.
Zion Alden froze, his gaze shifting to Tristan Sterling, who was leaning back on the sofa.
Tristan Sterling’s eyes swept over the woman’s panicked, pale face before landing on Zion Alden. His voice was flat as he said, "You’re still so classless."
Rachel seized the opportunity to shove Zion Alden away and hurried out of the office to call for security.
Zion Alden stared at the doorway, then turned, walked around the desk, and sat down in front of Tristan Sterling. He took a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to Tristan.
Tristan said coolly, "I quit."
Zion Alden paused for a mont before withdrawing his hand. He asked with a smile, "Who could possibly have the power to make you quit smoking?"
Tristan Sterling didn’t answer.
Zion Alden took out a lighter and lit his cigarette. He took a deep drag, holding it between his fingers, and exhaled a plu of pale smoke. "Why are you here today?" he asked.
Tristan Sterling said, "Business."
"Business?" Zion Alden was surprised. "You have dealings with a company like KU? What kind of business requires you to co in person?"
Tristan Sterling didn’t answer.
Zion Alden suddenly chuckled. His tone was ambiguous as he said, "Or is ’business’ just an excuse?"
Tristan Sterling’s lips curled into a faint smile. He closed the book in his hands, tossed it onto the coffee table, and then stood up. With one hand in his pocket, he looked down at Zion Alden. "What kind of person do you take for?"
Zion Alden stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into the trash can. "True. The Tristan Sterling I know would never lower himself for so woman."
Tristan Sterling turned and walked away.
Just then, security guards ca in. Seeing Tristan Sterling, they moved to block his path. "Are you the one causing trouble here?"
Tristan Sterling looked at the guards. His sharp, cold gaze made them falter for a second. "You have the wrong person," he said. "It’s that gentleman over there. You should probably escort him to the police station."
Hearing this, Zion Alden couldn’t help but sneer.
The security guards looked over at Zion Alden, who was still seated.
Tristan Sterling walked straight out of the office.
By now, the KU employees were all looking over, their faces full of confusion.
Tristan Sterling scanned the area but didn’t see Rachel Royce.
Zion Alden also ca out, with the security guards following behind him.
He walked up beside Tristan and said, "I hope your business discussion goes smoothly."
Zion Alden left the company building.
Tristan Sterling watched him leave, then his gaze fell on Lina. "Is the data ready?"
Lina replied, "Part of it is ready, Mr. Sterling. Would you like to take a look first?"
Tristan Sterling headed for the reception room. "Bring it to ."
"Yes, sir."
Tristan Sterling sat down, and Lina and the finance director brought over the relevant data and handed it to him.
"Please review this, Mr. Sterling."
Tristan Sterling flipped through the docunts and asked, "Where’s Evelynn?"
Lina answered, "Evelynn just left."
The hand Tristan Sterling was using to flip through the files paused. He let out a cold scoff. "With that kind of work ethic, there’s really no point in KU continuing to operate."
As soon as he said this, both Lina and the finance director jumped in alarm.
Lina quickly explained, "There were extenuating circumstances. Evelynn wasn’t looking well just now, so I’m afraid she wouldn’t have been able to properly answer your questions, Mr. Sterling. Also, she hasn’t been in the office much recently, so she’s not completely up to date on the company’s specific operations. If you have any questions, you can ask us directly. We can give you clearer answers than she can."
After saying this, Lina watched Tristan Sterling nervously. Even though the man’s expression remained neutral the entire ti, it was precisely this imposing aura, one that commanded respect without a hint of anger, that made him all the more intimidating.
He didn’t respond to Lina.
His eyes scanned ten lines at a ti as he flew through the docunt.
Seeing that he didn’t reply, Lina felt a growing sense of uncertainty.
*
Miles Sheldon drove Rachel Royce away from the office. Seeing that the color still hadn’t returned to her pale face, he asked with concern, "Miss Royce, are you all right?"
Rachel said, "I’m fine. Don’t worry."
When they returned to the villa, Thomas Sterling was surprised to see her back so early. He had been about to bring her lunch. "Rachel," he asked, "why are you back so soon? Weren’t you discussing the shares?"
Rachel said, "Sothing ca up. It’s been postponed until tomorrow."
She had completely cald down by now, so Thomas Sterling didn’t notice anything unusual about her.
"I see."
"So, do you have any other plans for today?"
Rachel replied, "I’ll just work from ho for now."
"Alright. I’m making lunch today. You can be the judge of my cooking skills in a bit."
Thomas Sterling hadn’t had much to do there lately, so he had taken to experinting in the kitchen.
Rachel laughed. "Just as long as your cooking doesn’t land in the hospital."
"You have that little faith in ?"
"Of course I trust you."
"That’s more like it."
"..."
The two chatted for a few more monts.
Then Rachel went upstairs.
Just then, Lina called.
"Evelynn, are you okay?"
Rachel replied, "I’m fine. I’m sorry, did President Sterling give you a hard ti?"
Lina said, "He didn’t exactly give us a hard ti, but he only looked at so of the data we gave him and left without saying anything. I have no idea what Mr. Sterling is thinking. He seed very unhappy that you left so suddenly. Evelynn, do you think you should contact him?"
Hearing the worry in Lina’s voice, Rachel reassured her, "I know. I’ll contact him and explain."
After hanging up, Rachel put down her phone.
She sank heavily onto the sofa, with no intention of calling Tristan Sterling whatsoever.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ!
Rachel picked it up and looked.
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