"Julian, are you mad at me?" Cindy looked at Julian helplessly and pitifully, her eyes red as she asked softly, "If I’ve done something wrong, can you just tell me directly?"
"In my heart, you’ve always been my warm neighborhood brother. I don’t want you to hate me."
Julian was indeed a bit resentful towards Cindy. Previously, when he was helping her with the research, Cindy’s words led him to mistakenly believe that the manager of the research department, Vincent’s wife, was someone who got her position through connections and was constantly bullying her!
But now, he knows that was Tanya!
Tanya couldn’t possibly do such things!
He didn’t want to pursue the matter with Cindy, after all, there’s the filter of youth.
Julian’s plan was simple. Today, he accepted the invitation to help Cindy for the last time.
It was also a way to repay the girl who ran through the rain to the hall to give him a piggy bank years ago.
In front of him, Cindy was crying like a tearful doll. Today, she wore no makeup, looking pure and reminiscent of her youthful days.
Ultimately, Julian softened.
He handed her a tissue.
"Did you already know that Tanya, the person I’m looking for, is the manager of the research department and also Vincent’s wife?" He looked at Cindy, his gaze heavy with meaning. "That day, at the entrance of Westgard Pharmaceuticals, when you heard me call her, did you intentionally brake suddenly?"
"Julian, that’s not how it is!" Cindy hastily denied, "How could I possibly do such a thing?"
"You certainly could." Julian interrupted her calmly.
Cindy’s expression froze.
Julian lowered his eyes, took a sip of coffee, and then raised his gaze to look at her, his clear eyes nearly piercing through her.
"You want to seize the opportunity to collaborate with Westgard Pharmaceuticals, but your abilities don’t match your ambition. So you need my help, while Tanya..."
Just mentioning her name made Julian’s demeanor noticeably gentler.
Cindy clenched her hands tightly on her lap, listening to Julian continue.
"Wherever Tanya is, there won’t be any other winners." His tone was filled with admiration, clearly the voice of a little fanboy.
Cindy was about to lose her mind!
In Julian’s eyes, she was supposed to be the special one!
She certainly didn’t love Julian, but being his cherished exception greatly satisfied her vanity.
How could someone like Tanya surpass her?!
The phone on the table vibrated again. Cindy didn’t need to look to know it was Vincent calling about the contract.
Of course Julian noticed her phone ringing too.
He was about to remind Cindy to answer the call, but she suddenly grasped his hand, and before Julian could frown and withdraw his hand, Cindy had already started crying again.
"Julian, I know whatever I say now you won’t believe. Your heart has already tilted towards Tanya. I don’t fear your ridicule. It’s my father’s company that’s recently having cash flow issues. We’re in need of money, and I thought if I could renew the contract with Westgard Pharmaceuticals, my dad wouldn’t have to work so hard... Now, I’ve failed." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝙣𝙚𝙩
Cindy wiped her tears, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Before, I secretly tried to attract investment behind my dad’s back, but at the drinking event, those men forced alcohol on me and were all over me... I couldn’t take it and ran away. Forget it, I should just go back to find them..."
"No way!" Julian seized her firmly, frowning, "If it’s money you need, I can..."
"No!" Cindy rejected vehemently, "Julian, I don’t want your pity!"
He could understand Cindy’s current feelings. Back in the day, he also refused to accept pity or sympathy, forcing himself to endure until now!
Looking at Cindy’s stubborn brows, Julian hesitated slightly.
Had his judgment of her been too severe...
The girl who braved the rain to bring him a piggy bank, after growing up, shouldn’t become so selfish and self-serving.
Julian whispered, "Cindy, I have a project on hand that I can arrange for you. It’s a national ecological security system project jointly run by the Biology Department and the Ministry of Defense, codenamed Green Wall Plan. It’s an S-level project."
Cindy’s eyes lit up at Julian’s words!
In previous interactions with Julian, she had secretly looked at his phone, knowing he had several major projects orchestrated by the Presidential Palace with military and defense support!
S+ was top secret, while S-level was a special-grade project too!
Participating in such a major project wouldn’t be inferior to collaborating with Westgard Pharmaceuticals!
Cindy pretended to hesitate, "Julian, I don’t want you to owe me a favor..."
"You won’t. I know your capabilities, and Zenith Group isn’t some run-of-the-mill company. It can handle collaboration with the Ministry of Defense."
Julian said as he made a call to the person in charge of the Green Wall Plan—Professor Carter, recommending Cindy and Zenith Group.
After a brief conversation, Julian told Cindy, "I’ll give you Professor Carter’s contact information later and an address for a research base. Just head over tomorrow morning."
"...Julian, can I really do it?"
"Yes." Julian encouraged her, "Aside from the core technology, this project isn’t too complicated, you can manage it."
Having said that, Julian glanced at the time, "I have some matters, I’ll be leaving now."
Watching Julian leave, Cindy wiped the tear trails from her face with no expression, picked up her phone, and looked at the two missed calls from Vincent.
She didn’t rush to call back, instead she decided to go to him in person.
On the other side, Vincent Hawthorne waited long for Cindy Lynn but she didn’t show up, so he personally went to the second development department.
Cindy Lynn wasn’t there, but her work computer was open, and Vincent Hawthorne saw a rejection email from the president’s office of Westgard Pharmaceuticals in her inbox!
He felt as if he had been struck by lightning!
Cindy Lynn hadn’t secured the collaboration with Westgard Pharmaceuticals at all!
How dare she lie to him with such conviction!
Just at that moment, Vincent Hawthorne received a call from Cindy Lynn.
He was just about to look for her, "Where are you?"
"President Hawthorne, I’m in your office."
Vincent Hawthorne suppressed his anger, "Wait for me there!"
He hurried back to the office, where Rhys Lucas had just arrived and was sitting on the sofa besides Cindy Lynn.
Noticing Vincent Hawthorne’s unusual expression, Rhys Lucas spoke up, "What’s wrong, Vincent?"
Vincent Hawthorne had no mind to engage with him, glaring at Cindy Lynn with a chilling and terrifying look on his handsome face.
"The collaboration with Westgard Pharmaceuticals, didn’t you say you secured it? I just saw their rejection email on your computer!"
Cindy Lynn started tearing up when he started speaking, feeling wronged.
"President Hawthorne, I was just about to tell you this. The collaboration with Westgard Pharmaceuticals was suddenly switched to Tanya."
Vincent Hawthorne was shaken to the core.
"How is that possible? Tanya Sinclair’s proposal can’t even produce the most critical data!"
Rhys Lucas recalled something and suddenly sneered, "What if Declan Pierce’s senior aide, his right-hand woman Janne Hayes, and Tanya are ’very close’?"
Vincent Hawthorne’s gaze sharply turned towards him, speaking coldly, "What are you saying?"
Rhys Lucas straightforwardly spoke out, "A few days ago at noon, I saw Tanya and Declan Pierce’s personal assistant pulling on each other near Westgard Pharmaceuticals. As soon as they saw me, they immediately separated nervously! Ha, who would’ve thought that a bumpkin like Tanya fits Janne Hayes’ taste."
"Enough!" Vincent Hawthorne cut in coldly, looking extremely displeased, "Rhys, you need to be responsible for what you say!"
Rhys Lucas directly made a call, pulled some strings, and retrieved the roadside surveillance from that noon.
Sure enough, it captured Tanya and Janne Hayes being together, right across from Westgard Pharmaceuticals!
"..." Vincent Hawthorne stared intently at the screen showing the two standing face to face, wishing he could pierce through it.
Although there wasn’t any intimate behavior, the two seemed to be chatting and laughing, looking quite familiar!
He never knew that Tanya could know someone of Janne Hayes’ stature!
The Tanya he remembered was always revolving around him, not having any social circle of her own!
When did all of this start...
Vincent Hawthorne suddenly recalled that Yvonne Hawthorne mentioned to the family before that she saw Tanya with a lover outside—it was witnessed by her own eyes. It was also on that day that Tanya hit her in the street.
But Tanya only said the person was a kind passerby. Vincent Hawthorne had investigated thoroughly and found nothing unusual.
Plus, Yvonne had always disliked Tanya, liking to exaggerate when she spoke, so he didn’t take it seriously.
Now it seems, Yvonne might not have been lying!
Vincent Hawthorne suppressed his anger, took a screenshot of the surveillance footage, and sent it to Yvonne Hawthorne, followed by a direct call.
"Yvonne, look at the man standing with Tanya in the photo. Do you recognize him?"
Janne Hayes had an outstanding figure and presence.
Yvonne Hawthorne remembered him distinctly, and the surveillance footage was fairly clear, so she recognized him instantly.
"Brother, this is the wild man outside I told you about before, with Tanya! None of you believed me!" Yvonne Hawthorne felt extremely aggrieved.
It seemed Tanya had betrayed him long ago, which is why she retaliated, refusing to let go of Cindy Lynn!
Vincent Hawthorne’s pupils contracted sharply; he squeezed his eyes shut and suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart, hanging up the call directly.
Rhys Lucas saw Vincent Hawthorne’s reaction and knew the truth was undeniable.
"With Janne Hayes helping secretly, swapping Tanya and Cindy’s plans would have been no big deal!"
Vincent Hawthorne’s temples throbbed ferociously, veins bulging.
Julian Poole wasn’t enough, now there’s Janne Hayes... he never knew Tanya possessed such skills to attract men!
Vincent Hawthorne’s eyes turned cold.
Yet his mind involuntarily pictured Tanya in a stunning red dress at the bar, masked but still the most alluring rose... and the scar she left him...
Vincent Hawthorne’s throat moved with the slightest tremor.
Every inch, every side of her! Was supposed to belong to him!
"Vincent, don’t worry too much..." Cindy Lynn’s hand softly landed on his thigh. Vincent Hawthorne slowly lifted his gaze, meeting Cindy Lynn’s gentle eyes.
This scene pricked Rhys Lucas to avert his gaze.
Cindy Lynn’s soft and caring voice was like a comforting flower.
"I already had a vague feeling that this might not go smoothly. That’s why I secretly developed another project, which is the Green Wall plan with the Ministry of Defense. The discussions are almost finished; tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the research base to sign a cooperation agreement with Professor Carter."
Before Vincent Hawthorne could speak, Rhys Lucas was already surprised, "Is it Ethan Carter who won the Nobel Prize last year, Professor Carter? You secured the collaboration on the national S-level project Green Wall that he’s in charge of?"
Cindy Lynn nodded modestly, saying, "I initially approached it with a try-and-see attitude, but I didn’t expect Professor Carter highly appreciated the plan I proposed."