Haze’s captivating eyes darkened a little as they flashed with a complex mix of
emotions. He quickly returned to his look of cynicism as he joked, “What are you
afraid of? I’m offering you a prime cut of meat on a platter! It’s right in front of
you now, so why not just be bold and take a huge bite? If you can’t chew it all
today, then leave it for tomorrow! If you still can’t chew it all tomorrow, then
leave it for the day after that! I’m sure you’ll manage to chew everything
eventually! Besides, isn’t that better than refusing it and starving to death?”
“I don’t like the way you put it. Azure Group has been developing steadily. Who
told you it is starving to death?”
“You know better than anyone else whether or not it’s starving to death. Your
best buddy Liam Osborne almost dragged his family into the mess just so he
Enter title…
could get enough money to help Azure Group stay afloat. Azure Group is
nothing but an old broken car that wouldn’t even start. Without any outside help,
there’s no hope that it would ever take you anywhere…”
“But that’s only temporary!” Renee interrupted. She wished she could retort
Haze and teach him a lesson but found that she had completely no confidence.
She could only add, “You… You don’t know anything!”
Azure Group’s current financial situation was indeed bleak. Although she
believed that its future was boundless, it was now just as Haze had said—
nothing more than an old car that would not start—doubtful that it would even
get them anywhere!
“Look into my eyes, Renee…”
Haze displayed a rare sign of seriousness as he slowly assured her, “You may
distrust everyone else in the world, but you must trust me. My grandfather
ordered me to help you rebuild the wealth and power of the Everheart family!”
“Grandpa Baldwin wanted you to do that?” Renee asked, surprised.
“Why else do you think I’m here?” Haze raised his eyebrows, then helplessly
sighed. “You must know that I’m not the kind to dabble in business. If it were up
to me, what I’d love to do most would be hiding in a small dark room, writing
codes. If Grandpa hadn’t ordered me to do this and told me that the Everheart
family was in trouble, that you were in trouble, and then commanded me to help
you through this hurdle, I would’ve never bothered myself with any of this. Don’t
you think that I’d make better use of my time cracking codes and hacking
programs?”
“Don’t you know how many people had their greedy eyes on the land where
Everheart Residence is?” he asked. “Grandpa said Everheart Residence holds
great significance to the Everheart family, and he ordered me to get a hold of
the land and keep it for you. If Rubio Pascal hadn’t been afraid of the Baldwin
family’s power and influence, do you think he would ever let go of it?”
“So it’s Grandpa Baldwin who’s been protecting Everheart Residence for me!”
Renee uttered, still considerably shocked and moved by the old man’s
kindness. She hung her head low in shame and added, “I lied to him four years
ago. I thought he’d never forgive me, but it turns out that…”
“Well, you’re right that he was really angry because you promised to marry then,
but you turned around and suddenly got in bed with the Hunts. What you did
was simply as if you trampled our name and honor, deeply humiliating us. It
enraged every single member of the Baldwin family. They even tried to issue an
order to have you killed so they could take revenge on you and the Hunt
family…”
As Haze recalled the events that transpired four years ago, he was still struck
by a lingering fear and trepidation. Judging from what he knew of his
grandfather’s temperament, not only was Renee’s life in danger, but he was
sure that his grandpa even planned to kill him!
“But later,” he continued, “Grandpa discovered that you’d vanished from this
world, and it was uncertain whether or not you were still alive. He thought of all
the tribulations you had to endure in your life and made up his mind to forgive
you. He realized that the real instigators of the whole mess were the Hunt family
and Stefan Hunt especially, not you. You were innocent!”
“And that,” he concluded, “was why he ordered me to lend you a helping hand
to defeat the Hunt family and restore the Everheart family back to its old glory!”
Renee felt an immense pressure bearing down on her shoulders and somberly
replied, “I’m moved by Grandpa Baldwin’s well intentions, and I’m especially
grateful for the squad that he sent me back then. I didn’t even manage to train
them properly. I’ve failed to live up to his expectations…”
“But,” she added, “I never thought of trying to defeat or exact revenge on
anyone. All I want to do is to make Azure Group stronger and more prosperous
under my leadership, so I can show the world that the Everheart family is not to
be looked down upon and that their descendants can be great too!”
“That’s very noble of you,” Haze chuckled, “but it’s a pity that the world of
business is like the battleground for war. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. No one will
play nice with you. You either kill or be killed. If the man standing here in this
room today wasn’t me, do you think you’ll ever get Everheart Residence back?
And what if the capital chain for Azure Group breaks again? Where will you find
the money to fix the situation then?”
Haze’s expressions were inscrutable, but his pointed inquiry immediately threw
Renee into silence.
It was true. She had been too idealistic and naive. When the time came for
Azure Group to really be on the “battlefield,” who would play nice with her then?!
“This is the equity purchase contract,” said Haze. “Think about it carefully. Are
you going to rely on the powerful Baldwin family and get through this risky
hurdle, or are you going to fight alone and then get eaten up until not even your
bones remain? I give you three days to decide.”
Then, with uncommon gravity and strength, Haze pushed a thick stack of
contract papers toward Renee.
He was confident that a woman as smart as Renee would make the wiser
choice
