Chapter 444 Something Felt Off 

They’d bought into Ruby’s sweet talk back then, and now every single one of them was stuck on the back foot. 

And even if they went running to Eric now, he wouldn’t give them the time of day. 

The other shareholders were furious, one after another standing up to lash out at Ruby. 

Ruby hadn’t seen this coming at all. 

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Eric and Alice had never routed a single penny of their operations through Nolan Group, so no one could’ve guessed they were quietly forged a shadow empire right under the company’s nose. 

There was only one explanation for what they’d pulled off–they’d had more than enough capital of their own from the very start. 

Her head pounded like it was about to split open. 

But the shareholders‘ meeting wasn’t even what annoyed her the most. 

A call came in from the finance department. 

They said the books were a mess. 

When Alice had been around, she’d juggled the numbers so smoothly it felt like every transaction was pre–programmed. 

As long as they followed her system, everything ran like clockwork. 

But- 

Now that the finance team didn’t have a strategist like her, they were flying blind–after just a few days, the accounts were in chaos, and everything was bleeding red. 

Ruby had gotten a hefty payout in the divorce, just like she’d wanted. 

Now, every bit of it had to be shoveled into this black hole. 

The problem was that a bottomless pit only serves to pull you into a vicious cycle. 

There was no way to fill it up. 

She was currently a clever housewife who couldn’t cook without rice–completely strapped for resources. 

When Alice heard how frantic Ruby was, all she said was a soft “pitiful,” then grabbed her things and headed off to St. Anne Hospital with Eric.. 

Sandy was there too, practically begging Andy for help. 

Andy was related to the Griffins. 

If he really wanted to, throwing Ruby a lifeline would’ve been child’s play. 

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>10pm 

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Chapter 444 Something Felt Off 

Andy humored her and called his cousin from the Griffins. 

But his cousin made it clear–she’d help, sure, but only if he brought a marriage certificate to the table. 

In other words, if the Griffins were going to invest in Ruby, Andy needed to find someone to marry. 

Wendy Griffin had practically worn herself out worrying over this younger brother. 

So, Andy could only sit there studying photo after photo of blind dates, while a frustrated Sandy stepped out for some air–and ran straight into Xavier, who was also out clearing his head. 

One look at Sandy’s face and Xavier guessed she had to be Ruby’s daughter. 

His assistant did a quick comparison and came to the same conclusion. 

“Ms. Sandy, whatever you’re so anxious about, I can help.” 

Xavier watched her with his eyes narrowed. 

His assistant had just reported that Sandy’s physical data made her a perfect candidate to test their latest experimental drug. 

This was her “blessing.” 

Sandy wasn’t an idiot. 

“You’re not helping me out of the goodness of your heart, are you?” 

Xavier smiled and nodded. 

“You’re going to help me with a drug trial.” 

Sandy’s brows pinched together. 

“Shouldn’t you be talking to Emma about that kind of thing? 

“I don’t even work in that field. 

“Pretty sure you’ve got the wrong person.” 

She looked speechless, feeling like this old man was a bit mentally unstable. 

But then, she remembered Xavier had done business with Ruby before—he definitely had money to burn. 

That thought made her hesitate. 

What if she got him to invest first and then just bailed? 

“Fine, it’s a deal.” 

Xavier had known she’d cave, so he simply told his assistant to bring over a contract. 

“I drafted this myself–take a look. If you’re okay with it, you can sign right away.” 

Sandy hadn’t expected him to carry something like that around and couldn’t help frowning. 

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5:16 pm PIWAN 

Chapter 444 Something Felt Off 

Something about the whole thing felt off. 

But the more she thought about it, the less it seemed like a real problem. 

Rich people were always ready to talk business–just like her mom, who never left the house without a stack of contracts. 

If they ran into a promising partner, they’d produce a document on the spot and negotiate the terms on the fly. 

“I need to read it first.” 

She kept a sliver of caution and headed off with the contract to look for Andy. 

She hadn’t gone far when she heard Alice’s voice. 

Alice was there to see Xavier. 

From the bits of conversation she caught, it sounded like they were about to talk about cooperation. 

That made sense. 

Xavier might not be the head of the Sarratts, but he still held plenty of power in his hands. 

And now that Alice was running her own company, she definitely needed investors like him. 

No, I can’t let Alice get the advantage! 

She spun around at once and waved the contract in her hand. 

“Mr. Sarratt, I’ll sign!” 

Only then did Alice notice Sandy. 

Sandy looked flamboyant and held a trace of disdain, as if Alice wasn’t even worthy of her gaze. 

Alice frowned slightly but said nothing. 

She always felt that Sandy was a bit dim–witted–like her brain occasionally just stopped working. 

Even when it did work, she only used it to do stupid things. 

It was better to stay quiet and let Sandy play herself out. 

“Since you’re busy, Mr. Sarratt, I won’t keep you.” 

She’d only come to take the measure of Xavier anyway–the real work would come from studying his exam results. 

The lab already had Xavier’s blood samples, so she reached out to Emma to arrange the next round of tests. 

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