At the same time, in Dorrington, a man dressed in a well-tailored dark suit stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, giving off an air of silent melancholy. His deep, brooding gaze and intensified aura portrayed a sense of unapproachable aloofness.
Alex asked in a low voice, "Are you sure she's in South City?"
Sawyer replied, "People who went to South City for business recently encountered Candice at Simmons Group."
He finished speaking and couldn't help but look at Alex.
Previously, they had all thought Candice meant nothing to Alex. After their fallout, they believed Candice would be the one regretting it. Unexpectedly, it was Candice who chose to walk away.
Sawyer couldn't recall how many times he had fetched Alex from bars. Each time, he witnessed Alex drinking himself into a stupor, and he even ended up in the hospital once before he stopped drinking that much.
Alex nodded without further inquiry, still gazing out the window. The last contact between him and Candice was a bank transfer of 1.5 million from an account in Mutemaw. The message included only a series of cold, icy numbers, clearly showing Candice's reluctance to engage with him.
A bitter smile crept onto Alex's lips as he fiddled with his fingers, gazing silently at the sky outside.
After a moment, he asked again, "How is it going with Oscar?"
Sawyer said, "The board is anxious. The chairman is firmly supporting Oscar."
A hint of mockery flashed in Alex's dark eyes. "What a strong father-and-son bond."
Sawyer didn't dare to continue. The conflict between Alex and the Elysians was widely known.
Everyone was aware that Daniel had another son when Alex had a fallout with his family. This son had been personally brought into the headquarters by Daniel the year Alex was kicked out from Aether Corporation, and now he was the head of the planning department.
It was clear who Daniel favored.
“What about South City?” Sawyer asked.
"Do not disturb her." Alex's voice was low as he replied. There was no need to disrupt her peace when the dirty business wasn't settled.
A gentle and tender expression flickered in Alex's eyes, unnoticed even by himself. He looked into the distance, his lips tightly pressed.
He couldn't let such a thing happen again.
-
Yana kept chattering about Ellis being her little sister during the whole journey. Candice corrected her, mentioning that Ellis should call her "Aunt Yana”.
Yana was adamant. "She should call me ‘Yana'; I’m not that old!"
Candice nodded. "Sure, Nadia is her godmother, and you're her godsister. That makes perfect sense."
Yana didn't mind being teased and happily continued mumbling, “Baby Mulberry.”
The cab stopped at an upscale residential complex, and Candice took Yana upstairs.
When the door opened, the laughter of a child filled the air. Yana's eyes lit up, and she rushed to the bathroom to wash her hands and change clothes. After her swift movements, she entered the room and took the few-month-old baby from the nanny. "Baby Mulberry, do you know who I am? I’m your clever and beautiful godsister, Yana."
Candice had been to Simmons Group a few times before and had met Catherine Richardson. They exchanged a few polite words before Candice excused herself.
Little did she expect that she would hear about Aether Corporation expanding to South City during this salon. A lady said, "Ms. Richardson, I heard that Aether Corporation is considering a partnership with Simmons Group. Is that true?"
Catherine smiled. "Is it? I'll ask Mr. Simmons when I get back."
"My best friend works at Dorrington and mentioned that Daniel Elysian from Dorrington has two sons—one from his current wife and another is an illegitimate child. The legitimate Mr. Elysian is quite the talented and capable young man. My daughter is not that young anymore. I was thinking that when Mr. Elysian comes to South City, I'll have my husband check him out."
Her words triggered laughter, and someone countered, "It’s hard to find a good man; if he’s as good as you said, maybe he’s already married."
"How would I know?"
Candice sipped her tea with a smile as she listened quietly, choosing not to participate in these discussions.
Surprisingly, someone brought her up. "Ms. Renault, you’re from Dorrington, right? You might have had some contact with Mr. Elysian in your work. Is he married?”
Candice held her teacup, smiling slightly as she nodded. "I'm not entirely sure, but it seems likely. I heard about his engagement plans before."
Alex and Nina probably had gotten engaged, as arranged by their parents; if things had moved faster, they might have even tied the knot already.
Upon hearing Candice's words, the lady, who had been eager to introduce her daughter, immediately deflated and lowered her head in disappointment.
Candice remained silent and wore a gracious smile as she calmly finished her tea.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: My Mirror Image by Maybe Not (Candice And Alex’s)