Chapter 1425
“Hello, Ms. Shannon.”
“I want to see lan,” Vanessa yelled into the phone, her voice demanding.
Gavin’s calm voice came from the other end. “If you have a message for Mr. Goodwin, you can tell me, and I will relay it.”
“I said, I want to see lan,” Vanessa repeated through gritted teeth. “Even if he’s terminating the contract, he should have the decency to tell me in person. I have things I need to ask him.”
“Ms. Shannon, you should know that Mr. Goodwin has no desire to see you,” Gavin’s voice grew cooler.
“Gavin, who do you think you are? You’re just a messenger. Get lan to see me.”
“Continuing to push this will not benefit you, Ms. Shannon,” Gavin’s voice turned completely cold.
“No benefit? What do you think I have left to lose?” Vanessa sneered, then stated her demand directly. “I want a transition fee from lan. Ten million dollars. Otherwise, I’m not going quietly.”
Before Gavin could say anything else, Vanessa shrieked, “lan used me for years, and now he just kicks me to the curb like I’m nothing. He can’t get away with that. Ten million is a drop in the bucket for him. Once I get the money, I promise I’ll disappear completely. Otherwise I wouldn’t mind making up some interesting stories for the media.”
“Ms. Shannon, slander and defamation have legal consequences. Your agreement with Mr. Goodwin was a legal and compliant business partnership. The fact that he isn’t making you pay a penalty for breach of contract is already more than generous.”
“Gavin, you tell lan I want to see ten million dollars in my account by tomorrow.”
Gavin’s voice remained placid. “Ms. Shannon, you know Mr. Goodwin better than anyone. You know perfectly well whether you have the power to threaten him or not.” He then added, “This will be our final conversation.”
The line went dead.
Vanessa swayed on her feet, clutching her chest and gasping for breath. A wave of humiliation washed over her. She grabbed her bag and left under the assistant’s watchful eye.
The sunlight outside brought a moment of clarity. Of course she knew threatening lan was just humiliating herself.
Besides, in three days, she had to leave the country.
***
Met
At the laboratory, Eleanor was focused on her work, dressed in a white lab coat. Ian stood outside, watching her quietly through the ceiling window
Eleanor sensed someone outside and turned her head. Ian raised a hand and waved a small greeting.
Twenty minutes later, Eleanor finished her experiment and came out. Ian was still waiting in her office.
“What are you doing here?” Eleanor asked, drying her hands.
“Evelyn is having dinner at my mom’s tonight. I thought we could have dinner together,” lan proposed.
The implication was clear: a dinner just for the two of them.
Eleanor glanced at her watch. “I still have a report to write. It’ll probably take another half hour. Are you going to wait?”
“Of course. I’ll wait no matter how late it is,” lan said with a smile.
Eleanor sat down and began organizing the data from her experiment, becoming engrossed in her work.
Watching her work-calm, precise, untouchable lan couldn’t look
away. At that moment, watching the woman at the computer, completely absorbed, the man on the sofas found himself momentarily mesmerized.
For the past three years, he could only steal glances at her. If she caught him, he would be met with disdain and a warning But starting today, he could look at her openly.