Chapter 2
James took the rings from my hand and frowned as he examined them.
Turning to me, his voice cut sharply, “So these rings were with you. This was the welcome gift I got for Susan. How did they end up with you? Were you snooping through my things?”
“This ring? James and I actually picked it out at the counter as a welcome gift for me, Hailey, you
really shouldn’t read too much into it.
>>
She lingered over the words “James and I” as she took the ring from his hand, letting her fingernail graze his palm in a deliberately playful way.
“The thing is, you know how capable Susan is. Having her join Crescent Heights is an asset- she’ll strengthen the company. That’s something to be happy about, isn’t it?”
James’s voice was icy, “This ring was meant for her alone, but the clerk made a mistake. Don’t take it to heart. And from now on, don’t touch my things without asking.”
I said nothing, just stared at him. He pinched the bridge of his nose impatiently.
“You’re at home focusing on having a child; the company’s business isn’t your concern. I’m the CEO–who I hire is my decision, not yours.”
“We built this company from the ground up,” I shot back, my eyes burning. “I won’t approve of Susan joining. Have you forgotten what she did to me?”
James’s gaze was filled only with irritation.
“That was trivial! Right now, at this critical moment after our IPO, Susan is exactly the talent the company needs. You can’t let a small past conflict make you act so stubbornly!”
A “small past conflict“? The very thing that nearly got me killed was now a trivial matter in his
eyes.
My eyes drifted to his hands. The delicate fingers that once danced across the piano keys were no longer the same after rescuing me from that collapsing building.
Back then, he had sworn he would never forgive Susan. And now, he had personally brought her
into the company we had built from scratch.
I let out a cold laugh and lowered my voice, “James, if you insist on bringing Susan into the
Chapter 2
20.00%
company, then we’re getting a divorce.”
“Hailey, what are you doing? I told you, I value Susan’s abilities,” he said, his tone frigid. “You chose to focus on conceiving and left the company entirely to me. So why are you interfering
now?”
“Yes, Ms. Davis,” Ryan and Jack chimed in mockingly, their voices dripping with derision. “Susan’s abilities are obvious. You’re going to be a housewife trying to conceive–why worry about who works at the company?”
“Ms. Davis, you should just stay home and be a good Mrs. Bennett. Why trouble yourself about who joins the company?”
These were my own protégés, people I had groomed from the ground up. And now they were
speaking to me with such scorn.
I swept a cold glance around the room. Susan’s face shone with triumph.
“Ms. Davis, you must have misunderstood the past. I truly wanted to help Mr. Bennett,” she said smugly. “Please don’t hold any bias against me.”
I ignored her and turned back to James. “James, do you really want me to have your child?”
If he truly wanted me to bear his child, why would he swap my fertility supplements for contraceptives?
Chapter 2
