Chapter 212
Hearing Yasmine stammer, Victoria looked up from her paperwork, fixing her with a calm but expectant gaze.
“If there’s a problem, just say it,” she prompted.
Yasmine took a quiet, steadying breath before she finally spoke. “Mr. Clark says he doesn’t want a salary. No bonuses, either.”
Victoria’s brows arched in surprise. “Then what does he want?”
For legal reasons-and to keep prying eyes away from the true owner-Victoria had put Osborn down as the official head of V&S Group. Honestly, Osborn came from so much money that he could burn it for fun, and both his grandfather and his father, Jed Clark, were desperate for him to settle down. They wanted him to do something more productive than racing cars or partying with his usual crowd.
She’d registered the company with Osborn’s ID. He didn’t have to invest a penny, and she’d even arranged for him to get a two percent cut of the annual profits. It gave him a legitimate business to show the Clark family, and for her, it kept things simple.
Yasmine hesitated, looking awkward. “He said he wants to sell himself—”
She stopped, realizing how that sounded, and quickly corrected herself. “I mean, he wants to offer himself to you.”
Victoria felt a sharp pang in her stomach, half from anger, half from the urge to laugh. She truly couldn’t understand why a spoiled rich kid would be interested in a twice-divorced woman with a child.
“Transfer two hundred million to his account this month,” she said dryly. “If he wants it or not, that’s up to him.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Yasmine hurried off. Victoria picked up her phone and called Curtis to request some time off.
This time, Curtis didn’t even ask for a reason. The controversy over the company’s latest game had exploded online, and everyone in the office was talking. Some said Curtis had sold the game just to protect Victoria, and now all the effort and time the tech team had poured in was wasted. The company didn’t make a cent, the developers were run ragged for nothing, and only Victoria seemed to profit.
To make matters worse, they’d basically given free publicity to a tiny, no-name startup. No one could believe they’d handed over so much for nothing.
Curtis, aware of the growing rumors, had already decided to give Victoria some time off until things blew over.
Perhaps feeling guilty, he asked Ailie to bring Victoria a gift as an apology.
Ailie showed up with a large box and Curtis’s regards, dropping the gift into Victoria’s hands.
“You didn’t tell him about my foot, did you?” Victoria asked, not bothering to open the box, more worried that word of her injury would get out.
“Relax,” Ailie waved her hand. “I’m not a gossip, unlike some people.”
When she’d first heard Victoria had broken her foot, Ailie had been terrified, but she relaxed once she learned it wasn’t serious. She’d wanted to visit, but Curtis had roped her into delivering the gift instead. She figured her boss was just too embarrassed to show up himself.
“Honestly, Mr. Garcia’s had it rough lately,” Ailie added, helping Victoria open the box. “Not that he doesn’t deserve it. The company didn’t make a dime from all that drama, serves them right.”
She pushed the box toward Victoria. “Go on, let’s see what he got you.” Victoria didn’t really care, as long as it wasn’t anything too extravagant.
“A race car model?” Ailie frowned, confused. “Why would he give you that?”
Victoria sighed inwardly. If Curtis ever found out she’d been the one poaching his staff all along, she wondered if he’d regret giving her a model car as a keepsake.
“This is such a kid’s toy. No wonder he can’t win you over,” Ailie said, rolling her eyes.
Ailie clearly didn’t understand Curtis’s intentions, but Victoria knew he was still feeling guilty. In truth, Victoria felt even more guilty herself-she couldn’t help but feel like she’d swindled a good man.
But then her eyes dropped to the financial report Yasmine had just brought over. The staggering numbers—over ten billion in revenue—quickly washed away any lingering guilt.
Besides, she still needed Quantum Core Technologies. There was a core technology they possessed that every major tech firm wanted to get their hands on, but she hadn’t managed to uncover it yet.
If Curtis was willing to work with her in the future, she’d be happy to cooperate- she certainly wouldn’t make things hard for him.
Ailie, meanwhile, had caught sight of the papers in Victoria’s hand. She couldn’t read the details from where she stood, but asked casually, “What’s that?”
Victoria smoothly tucked the documents away. “Gwyn’s holiday course schedule,” she replied without missing a beat.