Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 740

Ray shadowed Emilia closely as they marched toward the elevators.

They rode up in silence.

A few moments later, they stepped into the reception area.

Compared to the absolute circus of screaming investors over the last three days, the floor was eerily empty today.

The contrast was staggering.

Emilia and Ray exchanged a knowing glance.

"CEO Dennis, thank God you made it," Caleb Lewis rushed out to greet her, relief washing over his strained features.

He looked like a man standing on the edge of a cliff.

Emilia smiled effortlessly, stepping forward to shake his hand.

"Is everything alright?" Emilia asked, feigning casual curiosity.

"Oh, perfectly fine. Everything is fine," Caleb lied quickly, ushering her toward the main conference room. "I just... I honestly didn't expect the turnout to be this light. We had so many firms expressing deep interest earlier in the week..."

Emilia gave him a sideways glance but kept her mouth shut.

They reached the heavy double doors of the boardroom.

Just as Caleb reached for the handle, the door yanked open from the inside.

A distressed executive stormed out, his phone plastered to his ear.

"Yeah, I get it! Relax, I'm leaving right now..." the man snapped into the receiver.

He barely acknowledged Emilia and Caleb with a terse nod before practically sprinting toward the elevators.

Emilia shot Caleb another look. The Aegis CEO looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

Without a word, Emilia stepped past him and into the boardroom.

The space was massive, but there were barely twenty people scattered around the sprawling table.

Emilia calmly found her seat. Sitting directly across from her was Chloe Erickson. A few seats down sat Frederick Donovan.

Caleb excused himself to check the lobby for any stragglers, leaving the remaining investors to mutter quietly among themselves.

"So, Emilia, how much capital did you actually bring today?" Chloe sneered, leaning across the table with a toxic smile. "They're going to verify our assets, you know."

Emilia met her gaze coolly. "I'm aware."

"Did you have to beg Theodore for a loan?" Chloe pressed, refusing to let up. "I mean, you two are practically married. What's his is yours, right?"

The insult was deliberately loud, meant to echo across the entire room.

[I don't need it.]

Seconds later, her phone buzzed again.

[Fascinating. You're going to pay dearly for that.]

Emilia ignored the threat, flipping her phone face down.

Caleb droned on for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he reached the climax of the presentation. "We are seeking a capital injection of fifty million dollars today, which will be allocated toward... as you can see on page four..."

He waited for the bidding to start.

Dead silence.

Not a single person in the room made a sound.

Caleb stood awkwardly at the podium, the silence dragging out into a humiliating eternity.

He dabbed a bead of sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand. "Does anyone have any thoughts? Or perhaps some initial feedback?"

Finally, Frederick Donovan leaned forward, breaking the silence.

"CEO Lewis, I have one non-negotiable condition before we proceed. I want a full asset verification of everyone at this table," Frederick declared, his voice dripping with elitist venom. "To be perfectly frank, the only reason I showed up today is because this project demands a certain caliber of investor. If just any pathetic riffraff can buy a seat at the same table as me, I'll walk out that door right now."