After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 125

"Waldo, you're always so good to me," Shirley said, lifting her glass and nudging it gently against his.

Waldo let her clink their glasses, but it was obvious he was in a foul mood.

Shirley noticed right away and tried to comfort him. "Waldo, don't stress about it. My dad's just being stubborn. Once he comes around..."

Waldo's face went cold. "He's already signed with Nexus Dynamics. I'm cutting off all ties with The Blair Group."

Shirley felt herself panic. The real reason she'd come today was to beg Waldo not to end things with her father's company.

"Waldo, I can talk to him, really," she said, hoping to salvage things for Nestor.

But Waldo just smirked, holding up a hand to stop her. "Don't rush to plead with me. Let your dad hit a wall first. He needs to figure out for himself that leaving The James Group was the biggest mistake he'll ever make."

Waldo understood Nexus Dynamics better than anyone. There was no way a powerhouse like that would actually help a second-string company like The Blair Group. They were just using it as a pawn against The James Group. Sooner or later, they'd toss it aside when it was no longer useful.

When that happened, Nestor would have nowhere left to go, and Lawrence would be blamed for everything. Sooner or later, they'd both end up begging him.

Shirley bit her lip, understanding exactly what Waldo was up to. He wanted to teach Nestor a lesson and give Lawrence enough rope to hang himself.

"Waldo, my dad just got tricked by Lawrence's sweet talk. He doesn't really know what he's doing," Shirley tried to explain.

She hesitated, then asked, "But why would Nexus Dynamics sign with my dad's company in the first place? Did Lawrence pull some strings?"

Waldo laughed, the sound sharp and dismissive. "Lawrence? He's just a regular engineering consultant. Even if Nexus Dynamics pays him any attention, it's only because of me. They're using his connection to the Blair family to worm their way into The Blair Group and stir up trouble for me."

Shirley rolled her eyes. "So you're actually making him look good. You're giving him way too much credit."

Waldo's eyes narrowed with disgust. "Sooner or later, he'll pay for all of this."

Shirley could see that Waldo wasn't really giving up on The Blair Group. He just wanted to see Nestor fail before swooping in to save him. There was nothing she could do about it.

"Waldo, relax. Project Apex Initiative is already as good as mine," Shirley said, raising her glass again.

Waldo's look softened a little. "Nestor's lucky to have such a smart and capable daughter."

Shirley's heart fluttered at his words, but she couldn't help feeling helpless. Waldo admired her, sure, but only when it came to work. When it came to love, his heart was still with Catherine.

"Waldo, Catherine was so cold to you last night. I don't know how you stood it," Shirley said, seizing the moment to get in his head.

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