Chapter 82
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Ronald watched Charles’s retreating figure, a smirk playing on his lips. “You’ve got it, Mr. Hoffman!”
Charles’s smile was a mix of amusement and challenge. “Joseph’s not ready for the big leagues. Going public?” He shook his head. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Right,” Ronald agreed, then paused, a new concern flickering in his eyes. “About Ms. Shaw…”
Charles spun around, his gaze sharp, as it landed on Ronald. Ronald froze, his throat suddenly dry. “Your wife, uh, she went to work at Frotconn today.”
“Hmm?” Charles quirked an eyebrow, “Just say it!”
“Mr. Lambert was giving her trouble,” Ronald said, eyeing Charles warily, though he could not help but wonder why Mr. Hoffman had been acting so oddly. Was Ms. Shaw actually Mr. Hoffman’s other half?
“Mr. Lambert?” Charles’s eyes narrowed, “What kind of trouble?”
“It looked like there was a mess with Frotconn’s finances. The lady must have picked up on something. She dropped a hint during the morning meeting, and right after, Mr. Lambert cornered her to stir up some
trouble!”
Ronald recalled what his colleagues had reported. Now that Mr. Hoffman was married to Noelle, he surely wanted to be in the loop about these issues.
“Hmm…” Charles nodded. “Anything else?”
“Well, there was the matter with the York family…” Ronald paused. “It’s about Simon.”
Charles gave a slight nod, urging Ronald to go on. Ronald cleared his throat. “I spread the word like you told me to, and the Yorks are all over Simon and Julian’s secret deal.”
Ronald paused, then continued. “About that promise Samuel made to Julian, the two hundred million for Helios, Chester hasn’t said yes, but he hasn’t said no either. It looks like he’s letting it slide. But Chester’s probably in the dark on the deal between Samuel and Julian.”
Charles let out a short laugh. “Chester, that sly old fox. You really think he’s clueless?” He waved his hand dismissively. “Cut to the chase!”
“Samuel’s not going to let Julian off easy, and Julian’s probably not getting the cash he’s dreaming of,” Ronald said, barely hiding his glee. “Mr. Hoffman, you haven’t even stepped in, and the Yorks are already stirring the pot. But if Samuel and Julian’s spat gets out of hand, it could spell trouble for the missus…”
“No way,” Charles cut him off sharply. “She’s grown up. She’s got to go through some things and learn them the hard way, so she won’t get burned again.” His eyes sparkled with determination as he adjusted -his tie. “Anything else?”
“That’s it,” Ronald replied.
Charles lingered by the panoramic window long after Ronald had gone, gazing down at the ant–like people below, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips.
Noelle was in the middle of sorting out an order when her phone buzzed, The caller ID read ‘husband‘, which made her pause and stare at the screen, lost in thought. She had not labeled it that way, had she? That must have been Charles’s doing. When had he fiddled with her phone to leave that behind?
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With a slight frown, she noticed the screen flashing insistently. Snapping out of her reverie, she swiped to answer. “Hello?”
“It’s me!” Charles’s voice, deep and seemingly cheerful, filled her ear.
Noelle chewed on her lip, falling silent. Charles waited for a reply that did not come, his smile fading.”
Hmm?”
Startled, Noelle let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, hey. What’s up? Do you need something?”
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