Simon's POV:
To make sure that the project on the east bank would proceed as planned, I rummaged through the documents in my office for an entire night.
The next morning, I decided to take a shower to freshen up.
After coming out of the bathroom, I dried my hair with a towel and turned on the TV to watch the news.
Lo and behold, when I saw what was on the news, I froze.
"Caroline Wilson of the Wilson Group is suspected of murder."
At this time, my assistant, Leah, came into my office. She appeared to be apprehensive.
"Mr. Felix, I just received word from Miss Lewis. She has refused to continue to work with us."
Upon hearing that, my vision dimmed. "What's going on? Why did she suddenly terminate our cooperation?"
Vanessa was one of the most talented architects
I had met. Both Caroline and I were quite impressed with her works.
The project on the east bank was about to begin. However, during this crucial moment, Vanessa abruptly called off the partnership.
Things weren't going as smoothly as I'd hoped.
"Miss Lewis didn't tell me a particular reason," Leah explained.
Annoyed, I frowned and commanded, "Contact her and see if we can patch things up with her." "There's no need to do that. I'm already here." Just then, Vanessa came in along with her assistant.
"Ah, Miss Lewis, long time no see," I greeted with a polite smile.
She smiled back at me and said, "I intend to cancel the partnership with the Wilson Group." "Could you shed light on that matter? Are you not happy with the contract price we offered you? If so, then we can renegotiate the terms later," I replied.
"I read the news and found out that Miss Wilson has just been involved in a murder case. I'm sure it would be perfectly understandable that I'd want to cancel our partnership because of that reason, yes?" Vanessa replied firmly, shaking her head in disappointment.
I wanted to appease her again, but she didn't give me a chance to explain.
Wearing a stern expression, she left the office.
Meanwhile, I was lost in thought, thinking of how to solve this predicament.
At this time, I received a call from Edward.
"Have you seen the news on the Internet? What on earth happened to Caroline?"
I could tell from his voice that he was agitated.
I explained to him what I knew of the things that had happened in the past two days.
"Someone must be manipulating the narrative to sway the public opinion and ruin Caroline's reputation," said Edward.
He scoffed and added, "How dare they plot against Caroline? They must be courting death!" "The Wilson Group's stock price is plummeting. If we don't control the situation in time, the consequences will be dire," I replied, letting out a sigh.
"I won't be able to go back to LA until next week. Simon, try your best to protect Caroline and solve this problem the soonest that you can," Edward responded.
"Got it. I'll do what I can."
After the phone call, I said to Leah, "Find out what you can about Vanessa's preferences. I'll try to win her favor again."
Leah nodded before leaving my office.
The thought of all the accusations and rude remarks against Caroline circulating online made me feel upset.
Just then, a scene appeared on the TV broadcast.
I saw Charles protecting Caroline and warning the rioters to back away.
He declared to them that she was his woman. And ever since I heard it, it had been lingering in my mind.
As I watched them leave hand in hand, I got mad.
"Charles Moore!" I roared through gritted teeth.
Resentment and anger arose from my heart, causing me to throw the remote control to the ground.
'Why is Charles always badgering her? What a damned eyesore!¹
All of a sudden, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.
When I saw the caller ID, I could no longer get angry.
"Hello?"
"Simon, I'm going to need a few days of rest. I apologize in advance for this, but you might have to work extra hard for the coming days." The sound of Caroline's voice was filled with remorse.
"It's fine. I just watched the news. Are you hurt?" I was mostly concerned about her situation.
"I got bruised, but it's nothing serious. Don't worry. I'm okay."
The exhaustion from her tone broke my heart.
"Get some rest, Caroline. Call me if you need anything. I'll always be on your side," I answered.
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