’So, what could I have said back then to make Evelyn Kendrick so angry she broke up with me so abruptly and went to study abroad?’
After thinking for a long time without coming up with an answer, Silas Hawthorne quickly sent Hazel Sinclair a message.
[Silas Hawthorne: Tell me exactly, what did I say and when?]
[Hazel Sinclair: How would I know? I have no idea what you said or did.]
[Hazel Sinclair: Pay up. Also, help me get the ten million in project funds from Sean Lawson.]
[Hazel Sinclair: [PPT]]
[Hazel Sinclair: 62...]
Silas Hawthorne looked at the long string of digits she sent, sighed, and had his assistant transfer two hundred thousand into the account, adding the note "unconditional gift."
After their chat ended, Silas Hawthorne opened the PPT and glanced through it. Once he finished, he personally called Sean Lawson.
That single phone call was all it took to settle the project payment that had been overdue for two years.
The next day at noon, while the couple was at their food stall selling lunches, the chief engineer came over carrying gifts of all sizes.
An excited expression lit up his honest, simple face, and several other men followed behind him.
They were also carrying many gifts, their faces beaming with unstoppable smiles.
"Sinclair, it’s all thanks to you that we got the project funds back." The chief engineer walked up to their stall, his voice booming cheerfully.
"We can finally pay the back wages we owe our workers."
"I can finally buy my house back. This is all thanks to you."
The chief engineer stood there singing her praises, setting his gifts aside as he spoke with a hearty laugh.
Leon Sterling was busy with work, but after hearing what they said, his gaze fell upon Hazel Sinclair.
’When did she take care of this?’
’She’d been by my side all day. There’s no way she had a chance to meet anyone.’
"So, about your fee... how should I give it to you?" The chief engineer was a man of his word. He rubbed his hands together, looking at Hazel Sinclair with a warm smile as he asked.
"Give it to my husband." Hazel Sinclair gritted her teeth, deciding to let Leon Sterling have the money.
’If he was going to make a comeback, it would be impossible without start-up capital.’
When Leon Sterling heard this, his brow furrowed deeply. He narrowed his eyes at Hazel, not understanding why she would give the money to him.
It was money she had earned through her own efforts, yet Hazel Sinclair gave it to him without a second thought.
This made Leon’s heart soften and ache at the same time. His once-close friends had all started avoiding him like the plague after they learned he’d lost everything. Yet Hazel Sinclair had stayed by his side, refusing to divorce him and return to the Sinclair Family, and now she was giving him the money she earned.
’He was useless, having to rely on his wife to support the family.’
The more Leon Sterling thought about it, the worse he felt. He lowered his head, silent, and began portioning food into a disposable container for a customer.
Hearing this, the chief engineer couldn’t help but chuckle. He looked at Leon Sterling and said, "Sterling, you married a good woman."
"Yes, my wife has always been very good to me," Leon Sterling didn’t deny it.
After getting Leon Sterling’s bank account number, the man transferred the money into the account right in front of them.
Once the money arrived, the card’s balance, which had been down to just a few cents, changed in an instant.
"We have money now. Hurry up and rent us a better place," Hazel Sinclair said, looking at him and reminding him in a low voice.
"I know."
Now that he had money, he planned to rent that eighteen-thousand-a-month apartment.
He thought Hazel Sinclair would definitely love it.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the chief engineer and his men left.
With the burden suddenly lifted from their shoulders, their tightly furrowed brows relaxed.
After they closed the stall for the day, Leon Sterling looked at her and couldn’t help but ask, "Hazel Sinclair, when did you resolve this?"
"Yesterday, at noon," Hazel Sinclair replied, sitting on a chair with a thermos in her hand, about to take a drink.
"You were home all day yesterday. How did you manage it?" Leon Sterling frowned, asking in confusion.
"You can solve a lot of things with a phone," Hazel Sinclair said nonchalantly. ’The original owner of this body may have faded from the circle of the wealthy, but that didn’t mean her connections were gone.’
"Didn’t he say the other day that Sean Lawson knew people from the Hawthorne Family? As it happens, I have Chairman Hawthorne’s WhatsApp, so I just asked him for a small favor."
’Not only did I get his help, I even scored two hundred thousand for free.’
’Chairman Hawthorne is so generous!’
"Consider this money a loan. You have five years to pay it back at three times the principal. If you’re late, it’s ten times."
’He must hate her now. After all, the repayment amount is no small sum. Leon Sterling would surely think she was extorting him, that this was practically loan-sharking.’
’The interest would compound, rolling into hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions.’
But Leon Sterling didn’t look disgusted. Instead, a faint smile graced his lips as he looked at her.
It was the first truly sincere smile Leon Sterling had shown since losing everything. He looked at Hazel Sinclair and said in earnest, "Alright. I’ll make sure to pay you back tenfold."
Hazel Sinclair stared at his face, momentarily stunned.
’This man is just too handsome. I really want to wrap my arms around him and kiss him hard!’
’How dare he be so seductive!’
After packing up and heading back, Leon Sterling finished his chores and started messaging landlords.
After arranging to see a few places, Leon Sterling changed his clothes and went out.
While viewing the third apartment, Leon Sterling ran into Vincent Hawthorne in the complex. Their eyes met, and both of them froze for a second.
Then, Vincent Hawthorne’s eyes swept over Leon Sterling from head to toe before he let out a sneer. "Sterling, it hasn’t even been that long. How did you end up looking like this?"
"Cheap clothes, your skin’s gotten darker, and those dark circles under your eyes are getting worse."
"I bet you’ve been hitting nothing but dead ends lately, haven’t you?" Vincent Hawthorne said as he walked closer, his tone dripping with unconcealed glee.
Seeing that smug look on his face, a flash of disgust crossed Leon Sterling’s eyes.
"Do you know why no one dares to hire you?" Vincent Hawthorne couldn’t resist gloating. "It’s because of me, of course."
"Anyone who dares to hire you is making an enemy of me," Vincent Hawthorne declared, then burst into a loud laugh.
"And who would want to be my enemy?"
"All of Aethel is mine now."
But Leon Sterling just looked at him and replied, "Oh? And then?"
Leon Sterling’s expression remained cold, his gaze like he was looking at a piece of trash.
He had intended to provoke him, but Leon Sterling’s composure was so unshakable that it left Vincent Hawthorne completely unsatisfied.
"You’re nothing but a stray dog now! What right do you have to look at me like that?" Vincent Hawthorne demanded, pointing a finger in his face.
Leon Sterling ignored him, his ice-cold gaze unwavering.
’So what if Aethel was his?’
’It’s easier to conquer a kingdom than to rule it.’
’Sooner or later,’ Leon Sterling thought with absolute certainty, ’Aethel would go bankrupt under his leadership.’
"Something you’ve snatched away only becomes yours if you can hold onto it," Leon Sterling said slowly, looking at him. "If you can’t, you’ll lose everything."
Just then, the landlord called. Leon Sterling didn’t even look at him again as he answered his phone and turned to leave.
Vincent Hawthorne watched him walk away, grinding his teeth in fury.
’Does he really think he’s still the high and mighty Chairman Sterling he used to be?’
’He would make Leon Sterling understand the price for looking down on him.’