She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 166

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Dominic turned and left.

“Daddy!” Lila blurted out, then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth and tried to recover. “I… I miss my daddy… Uncle, are you going to leave me?”

Evelyn couldn’t help but ask, “Dominic, didn’t you promise to have buffet with Lila? Where are you going?”

Dominic’s face was grim. His gaze toward Evelyn was filled with irritation, exhaustion, and intense disappointment.

At a critical time like this, Lila was a child, and it was understandable that she only thought about food.

But how could Evelyn not grasp the severity of the situation?

Business was all about speed. If Stellaris PharmaTech really did secure Adrian Mercer’s new project, the Hale Health Center would be handing a golden opportunity to a rival.

“I’m going back to the company…” he said, then looked at Melanie. “You’re coming with me.”

Melanie didn’t ask any questions and quietly followed Dominic out of the restaurant.

She didn’t need to ask.

She knew exactly why Dominic was taking her back to the office.

Originally, she hadn't been in a hurry.

Even with Evelyn’s interference, the Hale Group’s investment in Adrian Mercer’s studio was a done deal.

However, the longer things dragged on, the more risk there was for unforeseen complications.

Melanie’s original plan had been to leak some information to Gregory during the background check process to make him panic.

She hadn’t expected Stellaris PharmaTech to move so quickly and push Gregory into a corner that very night.

Melanie went to see Gregory with the contract she had already negotiated with Adrian.

The signing process went smoother than she could have ever imagined.

Even though she had embedded a series of traps in the contract—performance-based clauses, a personal guarantee agreement, strict confidentiality and non-compete clauses, and the stripping of decision-making power.

But with the pressure from Stellaris, Gregory couldn't afford to scrutinize the details. He just wanted to secure the partnership with Adrian Mercer as quickly as possible.

“These are basically insurance for Adrian’s side. After all, his studio is still a startup compared to the Hale Group, much smaller in scale. As long as the Hale Group doesn’t suffer from any major personal scandals down the line, and the new drug is successfully developed, we will be the only ones sharing the profits with Adrian Mercer’s studio.”

Listening to Melanie’s analysis, Gregory found it reasonable.

And so, with a flourish of his pen, he signed the contract.

A heavy weight was lifted from the hearts of the Hale Group father and son.

Now that Melanie was the project lead, it was only natural to bring her to the dinner with suppliers.

Dominic was reveling in his success when he suddenly received a call from Camilla.

“Sir, Miss Evelyn and Lila just came home, packed their bags, and said they’re going back to Bresford. I’m afraid… they might already be at the train station by now.”

“What?!”

Dominic was aghast. Without even saying goodbye to Gregory, he bolted out of the company headquarters.

“Camilla, did Evelyn say which station she was going to?”

“Uh… I think… North Station.”

Dominic knew what that meant.

A taxi from Rosecrest Villas to North Station was indeed the quicker option.

And North Station was also closer to the Hale Group headquarters.

Dominic quickly drove toward North Station.

Not only had Evelyn packed her bags and taken Lila, but she had also left behind the car the company had provided for her.