By Zephyria “Interesting, tell me more.”
His words, spoken with a smirk, left Grant speechless. Was he always this impossible to reason with?
“How do you run that huge company with such inflexibility? Or is your flexibility only reserved for business?”
Winston chuckled briefly at Grant’s bewildered question. The cynicism that cut through the silence almost made Grant apologize for his outburst. Fortunately, he came to his senses before making such a pathetic move.
“That’s rich coming from the man who stole Yu-jin from right under my nose.”
Winston’s tone remained calm. If it weren’t for the strong pheromone scent in the air, one would never know how furious he was. Grant was grateful that he was a beta and retorted.
“What’s wrong with that? This is America. You’re not a king, and under the great Constitution, we are all equal.”
Besides, how arrogant was he to barge into someone else’s house and act like a king? Winston smiled at Grant, who had puffed out his chest. Of course, it wasn’t a friendly smile at all.
“It’s not a crime to crush an ant with your little finger.”
The color drained from Grant’s face.
“What? Are you saying you’ll crush my company like an ant?”
“Why wouldn’t I? If you feel wronged, you can appeal to the very law you mentioned. Of course, the verdict will come out after you’re dead.”
Winston replied nonchalantly to Grant, who was protesting with a gray face. Grant was furious, but at the same time, he was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t speak. Winston slowly rose to his feet as Grant clenched his fists and trembled.
“It seems like we’ve finished our conversation, so I’ll be going. I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you steal Yu-jin away from me again, do I?”
You already said it, you’ll crush my company like an ant!
As Grant glared at him, panting, Winston straightened his back and looked down at him. The immense pressure emanating from the tall man made Grant instinctively step back, and Winston spoke.
“You should think carefully. Unless you want to end your little game and return to the family.”
His words were not just a simple threat. The thought of his newly established company disappearing like dust before his eyes made Grant feel suffocated. He had even gotten divorced because of it, and if he lost his company after Catherine, he might go crazy. Winston seemed pleased with Grant’s pale and trembling reaction and smiled broadly.
“Your parents will be delighted.”
He patted Grant lightly on the arm as if to encourage him, then turned to leave but paused. Grant could only stare blankly as Winston picked up Yu-jin’s book from the table and walked out.
* * *
As soon as Winston returned to the car and sat down, the bodyguard closed the door and quickly stepped back. A moment later, as the car moved, he suddenly noticed a large teddy bear on the seat next to him. It was the only trace Yu-jin had left behind. The faint scent of his pheromones was probably because he was with Angela so often. Angela was very fond of that teddy bear.
Winston gently stroked the teddy bear. The texture against his hand made him feel strange. How could the doll be so soft when he felt so awful? As if it were comforting him.
They say that’s why children love dolls, because the soft texture provides a sense of stability. Could that be true for fully grown adults as well?
What a ridiculous thought.
Winston chuckled and took his hand away. He habitually took out a cigarette and was about to light it when he caught sight of the doll. He stared at the doll for a while, then slowly took the cigarette out of his mouth, put it back in the case, and straightened up.
Angie wouldn’t like it if the doll smelled like cigarettes.
The thought came to him unconsciously, and he immediately noticed his own pheromones lingering heavily in the air. Angela wouldn’t like that either. Winston pressed a button to open the car window and let out the scent that had permeated the car. After ventilating for a while, he closed the window again, and there was no longer any pheromone scent left. After removing his own pheromones, he picked up the doll and smelled it. Fortunately, Yu-jin’s scent was still there.
He let out a sigh of relief without even realizing it. Winston silently stared down at the doll. He remembered when he first bought the doll. They say this doll weighs the same as a baby. That’s why children feel more secure.
The weight of a baby.
He repeated the words to himself and slowly hugged the doll. All he had left was a doll, pathetically enough.
* * *
“What? You want me to go to Delights?”
Georgina, who was having breakfast, exclaimed loudly at the sudden, unexpected order. Lady Catherine frowned elegantly and scolded her daughter.
“What are you doing, making such a loud noise? Calm down.”
Could there be any words less likely to calm someone down than “calm down”? Georgina became even more agitated at her mother’s words and widened her eyes.
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why do I have to go to Delights? What for?”
“Georgina, please calm down.”
Her father chimed in from the side. But, Georgina looked at her father, but she couldn’t argue any further. Lady Catherine opened her mouth to speak to her daughter, who was pouting and huffing.
“It’s been three months since he disappeared. I want you to go and see how Winston is doing. If there’s a problem, we need to be prepared.”
“What problem?”
Georgina asked with a frown, and her father replied with a troubled expression.
“It’s just in case, but… the company could be in trouble…”
“Are you going to sell the stock in advance before it goes bankrupt?”
Her father coughed awkwardly at his daughter’s quick interruption, and her mother frowned.
“Georgina, maintain your dignity.”
“Why? Is it undignified to talk about money?”
Georgina, who knew that her parents loved money more than anyone else in the world, couldn’t help but feel absurd. Lady Catherine gently chided her daughter.
“Of course, you can. But it’s undignified to be too blatant about it.”
Georgina sensed several contradictions, but she wasn’t in a position to argue. After all, she was still a minor, and she had lived a life of abundance, achieving most of what she wanted under her parents’ protection.
“So, why do I have to go? Winston probably hates me right now. He might strangle me if he sees me.”
She had heard how desperately Winston was looking for Yu-jin. What would he do if Georgina, who had played the biggest role in Yu-jin’s escape, appeared before him? Lady Catherine said, seeing Georgina shudder.“Don’t worry. Winston knows it’s not your fault. He told you it was okay back then, saying Yu-jin was the bad one for taking advantage of innocent you.”
“That’s right. Winston knows that much.”
Georgina thought as she watched her father nod in agreement from the side. Is that really true? If it were me, even if I thought that way rationally, I’d want to slap him, even if just in my mind.
Of course, Winston was much older and much more level-headed than Georgina, so he wouldn’t do such a thing. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t reckless for her to go to Delights and check on Winston’s condition.
“Why aren’t Mom and Dad going?”
Georgina asked in a sulky voice, and her father replied.
“We already went. He wouldn’t even meet us.”
“Then what about me?”
“You have a reason.”
Her mother chimed in from the side. When Georgina looked at them with a frown, they both smiled and said.
“Tell him you came to apologize for what Yu-jin did.”
“Euek?”
Georgina opened her mouth wide and let out a strange sound like a scream, leaning back. But her parents were smiling at her with more sincerity than ever.