Chapter 5

Eva's expression darkened. "Stop being unreasonable. How can you even compare yourself to him?"

Alex countered, "Is it really impossible to compare us? Or is it that, in your eyes, I'm not even worthy of being compared to him?"

The moment Alex finished speaking, Hugh clutched his chest and cried out in pain.

He refused to go to the hospital. Instead, he suggested inviting a shaman to the house to chant and drive away evil spirits.

Eva agreed without hesitation and immediately made the arrangements.

Alex tried to reason with her. "Eva, think about how this will affect Laurent Group's reputation."

After all, Laurent Group was a major corporation. If word got out that its successor was dabbling in superstitious practices at home, it could seriously damage the company's public image and even undermine its credibility.

Even so, Eva insisted that Hugh's feelings mattered most.

The next day, more than a hundred shamans arrived at the villa and held an elaborate ritual to drive away evil energy. During the ceremony, Eva accidentally burned herself. She paid no attention to the injury and insisted on staying until the chanting and exorcism were complete.

Eva had never believed in gods or spirits. She had always believed that success was due to human effort and that people could overcome even the greatest obstacles through determination.

For Hugh, she was now willing to abandon all reason.

Hugh grinned from ear to ear. "Well, Alex? Doesn't this prove how much Eva cares about me? No matter how unreasonable I am, she'll always agree to whatever I want. Not to mention allowing an exorcism, she'd even willingly lose money for me."

Hugh picked a stock that was already plummeting and sent Eva a message.

He wrote, "Eva, I want to buy this stock. Could you buy ten thousand shares for me? Let's sell them two hours later."

The moment he sent the message, Eva bought all ten thousand shares. In less than an hour, the investment had lost 80 million dollars. By the time she sold the shares two hours later, the loss had reached 150 million dollars.

Hugh looked absolutely pleased with himself. "See? To Eva, I'm everything. She doesn't even care about losing that much money if it is for me."

Alex smiled and took off his wedding ring. "Then, I wish you both all the best."

Since Eva was so obsessively devoted to Hugh, perhaps divorcing her was the only way to let her have the love she wanted.

That afternoon, Hugh joined Laurent Group.

While Alex was hanging out with Harlan, he received a message from Hugh.

"Look, Alex! I'm part of management now," he texted.

He attached a photo of his employee ID. His new title was Chief Secretary in the CEO's office.

Hugh knew nothing about business, much less how to manage employees. A position like that was clearly beyond his abilities.

But upon remembering how Eva would indulgently let him have his way, Alex decided not to comment. He closed the message and pretended he hadn't seen it.

Over the following days, Eva didn't return home. She spent all her time at the office.

Alex didn't bother looking for her. He was busy going over the Shaw family assets, as he would take over the family business once he returned to Rubove.

He had also managed to find out where Eloise was. She had opened an art gallery specializing in oil paintings right in Rubove.

Alex planned to visit her. After all, he owed her a debt of gratitude for saving his life years ago. He selected several oil paintings as gifts for her when they met.

When he returned home and set the paintings down, his phone rang. It was Eva calling.

"Something's gone wrong at the company. Didn't you know?" Her voice carried a hint of anger.

In the past, Alex had always been the first to spot potential problems and resolve them before they spiraled out of control. But now, even with the company facing a crisis, he hadn't so much as shown his face.

Alex replied indifferently, "You have Hugh, your capable secretary, by your side. I'm sure the two of you can handle any problem, no matter how serious it is."

"Can you not throw a tantrum at a time like this?" Eva sounded exasperated. "Don't hold it against Hugh. He's just my younger brother. Working at the company is simply a chance for him to gain some experience."

Alex said, "I'm not holding anything against him. If there's nothing else, I'm going to hang up."

Eva froze.

Alex was far too calm, and this wasn't like him at all.

A sense of unease crept into her heart, and it quickly escalated into panic. "Alex, where are you? I'll come pick you up."

She hurriedly blurted out the words just before the call disconnected.