Chapter 114

"I'll make a call," Zane said as he reached for his phone, but Julian stopped him with a raised hand.

"Not yet. Let's give it a few more minutes."

Nearly an hour later, Nathan arrived with Simon in tow.

"Mr. Hawthorne, I've been looking forward to meeting you," Julian said, approaching with an ingratiating smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Nathan's face remained an unreadable mask, giving nothing away.

"Director Hawthorne, apologies for the delay."

"No trouble at all. I just got here myself. Since Mr. Langley hasn't arrived yet, perhaps we could talk while we wait."

Julian pulled out a chair with exaggerated courtesy. "Mr. Sterling, please."

Nathan sat down, stretching his long legs with casual elegance.

"Mr. Sterling, I'm truly honored you could spare time from your busy schedule."

"Director Hawthorne," Simon cut in smoothly, "perhaps we should get straight to business. If you have something to discuss, please proceed."

Julian chuckled nervously. "Mr. Sterling, you're as perceptive as they say. Indeed, I requested this meeting for a specific purpose."

Nathan finally spoke, his voice cool. "As a board member at Kingsley Industries, you have no official ties with Sterling Enterprises. I'm curious what this might concern."

Julian leaned forward eagerly. "Well, Mr. Sterling, I'm sure you're aware our new CEO, Evelyn Carter, happens to be your ex-wife."

At the mention of Evelyn's name, Nathan's fingers began drumming a slow rhythm on the tabletop. Though his expression remained neutral, the tension in his jaw betrayed his irritation.

Without confirming or denying Julian's assumption, he gestured for the man to continue.

"Ms. Carter has quite the audacity. She's barely settled into her position and already promised to increase company profits by thirty percent."

Nathan arched an eyebrow. "And your point is?"

Julian failed to notice the dangerous glint in Nathan's eyes. Mistaking his silence for agreement, the director pressed on eagerly.

"Mr. Sterling, I want to discuss Evelyn's pet project - the collaboration between Sterling Enterprises, Kingsley Industries, and Langley Group."

"If anything were to... disrupt this venture, not only would she fail to deliver on her promise, but she might lose the entire investment."

"Under those circumstances, her position would become untenable."

As he spoke, Julian couldn't hide his smug satisfaction, already envisioning Evelyn's humiliation when her plans collapsed.

He completely missed the way Nathan's knuckles whitened around his glass. "Director Hawthorne, you've certainly devised an... interesting strategy."

The sarcasm in Nathan's voice went right over Julian's head. "Exactly! This way, I win our little wager, and you get to—"

The door burst open abruptly, cutting off Julian mid-sentence and freezing the room in sudden tension.

Julian jumped in his seat. When he looked up, his face drained of color.

Evelyn stood framed in the doorway, her sharp gaze pinning Julian to his chair.

"Director Hawthorne, it seems I've interrupted at a rather... revealing moment."

Though her tone was light, the words sent a visible shudder through Julian's body.

"H-how did you get here?"