Chapter 214 Malice
“Mr. Royden, will you still be going to the office?” The driver asked in a low voice as he could clearly feel the drop in temperature in the car.
“No,” Edgar said and opened the car door. When the concert ended, Jean wished that it could go on forever.
Her liking of the band used to be because she admired them. After going through so much, it was a different feeling when she listened to those songs again.
Ben was beside her. “Let’s go.”
Jean said, “Mm. There’s a café downstairs. Let’s go there. I have something to say to you.”
“… Okay.”
Jean sat on a seat by the window, and she smiled a little. “During this time, Ludwig Group has developed quite well under your leadership. I saw it on the news.”
Ben felt that she was a stranger when she acted like this.
He pushed a cup of coffee to her. “Reporters like to exaggerate.”
Jean rubbed her fingers against the cup of coffee and said, “Mm. I think that I should take some responsibility for the incident that happened, so I…”
“Jeannie, stop.”
A dark expression swiveled around in Ben’s eyes. He interrupted Jean and said, “No matter what you have to say, I don’t want to hear it today. Just let me be for this one time, alright?”
Jean frowned. “Don’t be so childish. What needs to be said has to be said sooner or later.”
“You haven’t seen how I will become after today. I will make Ludwig Group better. Then, no one will dare to bully or threaten you.”
He had never been so sure of anything before.
Even with racing, Ben had always had a playful attitude. But now, he was serious.
Edgar was just another person.
As long as Ben was willing to learn, before long, he could be a worthy opponent of that man.
Jean’s lips twitched. “There are some things that I don’t want you to get involved in. Edgar and I…”
Before she could finish, her gaze was fixed on a figure behind the door.
There was a coldness coming from him. His black coat was dotted with snow from the night. He looked around the lounge emotionlessly and walked to Jean at a fast pace when he saw her.
“It’s time to leave.”
Seeing the two cups of coffee, Edgar found it very unsightly.
“Jean isn’t going anywhere.” Ben stood up and was head-to-head with Edgar.
“Really?”
Edgar smiled scornfully. He glanced at Jean. The light in his eyes was dark and cold, like an indication of a blizzard that was about to come around.
Jean’s hand fastened on the surface of the desk.
She understood Edgar’s expressions too well. He always showed an expression like this whenever he was about to lose his temper.
If she didn’t want to involve Ben, she could only obey Edgar.
“Ben, let’s talk about it next time.” Jean stood up and looked down as she walked behind Edgar.
“Jeannie!”
Ben panicked. He rushed forward to drag her back.
But as soon as he reached out his hand, it was blocked by Edgar.
“Don’t demand what isn’t yours,” Edgar said before leading Jean out.
The snow outside was getting heavier.
Jean’s coat seemed very thin. She took a few steps forward and saw that Edgar had stopped.
He turned around and his eyes were cold. “Don’t think that I’ll give you my coat my coat, like he did.”
Jean frowned. “I never expected you to.”
She strode forward and walked to the car across the street.
When she reached the car, she realized that it was locked. Did it mean that Edgar personally drove and waited for her here?
Jean looked at the man who was getting into the driver’s seat, confused.
She thought Edgar was crazy. Otherwise, why would he waste so much effort on her?
Or perhaps he was mulling and planning something in advance.
“Get in.”
The man glanced at her with his cold eyes. His voice was cold as well.
Jean gathered her clothes. She only felt some warmth when she got into the car.
Far away, Ben had just left the café.
Jean only glanced in that direction before Edgar stepped on the gas. She couldn’t react in time. The car sped and braked at an intersection. Jean was shaken violently.
Her face knocked against the window.
“You…”
She gritted her teeth in fury. She was about to scold him when Edgar’s cell phone rang.
His face was cold as he answered the call.
“Mr. Royden, the partnership plan with Eyer Group has been drafted. Should I send it directly to Ms. Eyer? From the looks of it, she’s the only person in Eyer Group. There’s no actual office location. It will be hard to carry out the follow-up work,” Miles reported.
Jean gripped her seatbelt. That was what she was most worried about.
She could attach herself to Royden Group without much thought about her reputation. As long as she finished the project, Eyer Group would have the funds to make a comeback.
But before that…
Where could she employ talents in that area? And how would she rent an office?
Reality was like a sharp knife. It unknowingly shattered all her hopes.
At the next intersection, Edgar looked ahead and said indifferently, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
“Alright, Mr. Royden.”
The call ended after that.
Edgar only slowly turned his body to the side when the car stopped at the entrance of the villa. His eyes were chilling to the bone. “I can destroy Eyer Group, but also give it the hope to live. Can Ben do all these?”
Jean furrowed her brow and didn’t say anything.
“Beg me, and I’ll let Eyer Group survive. Otherwise, if the partnership comes to nothing, Eyer Group will be drowned by dust,” Edgar said as he slammed the car door and left.
The temperature in the car was cold, just like her feelings, which had fallen into a valley.
Jean walked up the steps. Every step was like the tip of a needle.
“Ms. Eyer, why are you standing at the door?” Susan brought over a coat in a hurry and draped it on Jean.
But even the warmest room couldn’t thaw Jean’s heart.
She looked down as she changed her shoes. “Susan, no matter what you hear in a moment, you don’t have to come up.”
Before Susan could even react, Jean was already making her way up the stairs to her room.
Edgar heard the sound of footsteps making their way up the stairs. When he looked up, he saw Jean standing there. There was no sign of movement in her bright eyes. She looked like a puppet with no feelings that could be fiddled with to one’s content.
“What do you want me to do, Mr. Royden?” She asked lightly as she raised her eyes and looked him over.
There was a light, unruly smile on his face that looked as good as a carved statue. He walked to Jean and extended his hand to grab her chin mercilessly. With some force, he clutched it, and she was in pain.
“Have you never begged before? Are you begging with such an attitude?” Edgar sneered. His fingers rubbed over her lips. “Also, don’t you know what men want?”
“…”
Both of Jean’s cheeks were boiling. A humiliating sense of shame engulfed her whole body.
“Let go of me!”
The next instant, the man’s hand moved away mercilessly. He said coldly, “It’s fine. Eyer Group’s survival has nothing to do with me.”
After that, he went into the bathroom holding his towel.
The faint sound of water running came from inside. Jean’s heart slowly dropped.
She wanted to defend Eyer Group.
Was this her only option?
