Chapter 2

In the reception room, Eustace sat with his legs crossed, lounging lazily against the sofa. The innate authority he carried made him seem like the master of the room.

Gordon was so nervous that a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

He heard that Dyer Group was looking for a new translation partner.

Zenith Global Language Solutions happened to work with one of Dyer Group’s subsidiaries before and left a good impression.

This was the perfect opportunity.

If they secured the partnership, they would not have to worry about their performance targets for years.

Without what had happened earlier, Gordon would have been fairly confident.

However, after the incident, he was no longer sure they had a chance.

Since entering the room, Eustace barely spoke.

He only examined the profiles of the company’s translators that Gordon handed him, his expression unreadable.

The silence made Gordon feel inexplicably restless, but he forced himself to speak in an attempt to build a rapport. “Mr. Sterling…”

Before he could finish, Eustace’s assistant stopped him with a warning look.

Gordon obediently fell silent and waited anxiously.

Eustace’s gaze remained fixed on the document in his hands.

Name: Claire Jones…

His fingers brushed lightly over the photograph.

The woman in the picture had pale, cool-toned skin and delicate features.

Her clear eyes looked distant and indifferent, yet they held a fragile quality that seemed impossible to dispel.

That was how she deceived him back then—with that seemingly harmless appearance.

Yet Eustace could not stop thinking about what he witnessed earlier. He had seen the red-rimmed corners of her eyes as she tried desperately to hold back her emotions.

For some reason, the sight had pierced him with a strange pain.

“Mr. Bennett.”

Eustace raised his eyes and fixed Gordon with a deeply scrutinizing stare.

The unexpected call made Gordon jolt.

He immediately straightened and sat upright.

When he noticed Eustace’s fingers pressing down on the employee profile, he put on a fawning smile.

“Mr. Sterling, please rest assured that nothing like this will ever happen again. We have no place for employees with such poor character who damage the company’s reputation. We’ll fire Claire Jones immediately.”

Gordon immediately made his position clear, but Eustace’s strange look intimidated him.

He quickly added, “I mean the Claire Jones who was having an affair with a married man.”

Eustace’s expression did not change, making it impossible to tell whether he was satisfied with that solution.

After a few seconds of silence, he continued, “Someone was assaulted at your company, her reputation was damaged, and one of your employees suffered such severe humiliation. Do you think a casual apology is enough to make this go away?”

Cold sweat poured down Gordon’s face.

He planned to fire Claire to put on a show of fairness.

Victor had served at the overseas branch for years. Gordon couldn’t simply fire his wife without considering the consequences.

But when Gordon looked up and saw Eustace’s refined, distinguished profile, he immediately replied, “Mr. Sterling, I assure you that our company will deal severely with everyone involved. We’ll also provide Claire with appropriate compensation.”

“I’ll have the finance department pay her ten thousand dollars in compensation right away!” Gordon said as he immediately made a phone call.

Only after Gordon had dealt with everything did Eustace give a faint nod.

Gordon wiped away his sweat.

He really was unlucky.

Eustace was obviously standing up for someone. Even the company’s highest-ranking executive would not have escaped dismissal after doing something wrong.

Night fell over Westhaven in winter, and the air seemed to freeze into a thin layer of ice. Pedestrians instinctively drew their coats tighter around themselves and hurried along the streets.

A luxury car sat by the side of a narrow lane with its headlights off. Eustace leaned against the cold car door, his posture relaxed but the pressure he radiated terrifying.

He lowered his eyes, a cigarette pinched between his fingers. He barely took a drag, simply letting the smoke curl lazily upward.

Even alcohol could not erase the scene from earlier that day. The moment he thought about it, a dull ache throbbed through his temples again.

“Uncle Eustace!”

Caleb Sterling hurried over from the side and held out a pack of peppermints, his face bright with excitement.

“Uncle Eustace, I saw a beautiful woman at the convenience store when I went to buy these mints. She was unbelievably gorgeous, like an angel.

“She’s exactly my type! If I hadn’t been rushing to bring you the mints, I would’ve asked for her number!”

The last few words came out muffled, as though he were talking with his mouth full.

Eustace had always exercised excellent self-control at business dinners, and given his current position, no one else dared pressure him to drink.

Yet that day, he drank himself to the point of intoxication. Moreover, the intimidating pressure he radiated after getting drunk had only grown worse.

Eustace slipped a peppermint into his mouth, and the headache left behind by the alcohol finally began to ease.

His fingers moved absently over the candy box.

At some point, he had grown increasingly dependent on those mints.

“Uncle Eustace, look! She’s coming out. That’s her!”

At Caleb’s excited cry, Eustace followed his gaze.

A woman was walking out of the brightly lit convenience store.

Her simple-colored coat blended into the cool-toned light and shadows, while the light illuminated her delicate features, making her look like a flower blooming beneath the moonlight.

Dry leaves rustled in the wind, and the woman’s cool detachment seemed to blend into the wintry night.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Caleb continued to gaze after her, clearly reluctant to look away.

Eustace narrowed his eyes as he watched the woman’s slender figure recede.

“Mommy!”

A child’s clear, innocent voice suddenly shattered the quiet.

Only then did Eustace notice a four- or five-year-old child standing in front of Claire. The child excitedly raised one hand in greeting while holding a young man’s hand with the other.

When Claire saw them, her face lit up as she greeted them from a distance.

“Wow, that beautiful lady is married, and she already has a son!”

Caleb was so stunned by the scene before him that he stood there gaping.

He failed to notice the complicated emotions hidden beneath the surface of his usually disciplined and unflappable uncle’s eyes.

By the time the young man brought the child closer, the three of them looked every bit like a happy family.

“Let’s go.”

Eustace withdrew his gaze, ignored Caleb’s dumbfounded expression, and returned to the car with a grim face.

Inside the car, Caleb sat upright and well-behaved, afraid to make a sound.

He could not understand how his uncle’s already oppressive presence had become even heavier in such a short time. Could his headache have gotten worse?

“Uncle Eustace, should I get you something for your hangover?”

“No need.” Eustace’s voice was quiet, carrying a trace of fatigue.

Caleb rarely saw his uncle like this, so curiosity got the better of him. He sneaked a glance at the rearview mirror. Eustace’s eyes were closed, and his brows were tightly drawn together.

The instant Caleb looked over, Eustace suddenly opened his eyes and shot him a chilling look. Caleb immediately turned his gaze away and continued staring straight ahead without moving a muscle.

Eustace silently stared out the cold car window, his eyes deep and unreadable. The happy scene of the family of three remained fixed in his mind.

“Claire, you dumped me, got married, and had a child. How dare you?”