Chapter 67
Malindaâs head spun, everything went dark. Her precious daughter ha been living such a hard life⦠But every time Letitia came by, she only brought good news, never the bad.
Malinda murmured. âMy poor girl, itâs our fault, weâve let you downâ¦
âAuntie, just take it easy and rest up. There will always be money, although your daughter has to work for it. Sheâs young now, and she can handle it. But what about a few years from now?â
Malinda slumped in her wheelchair, her gaze empty and numb.
âForget it, forget it, lil stop right here. Thereâs a bunch more to deal with, I donât want to overwhelm you,â Shela waved her hand dismissively. âMrs. Sanders, I gotta head out. Itâs best if you just keep this to yourself; itâs not really something to talk about.â
Satisfied, she left. Did Letitia think she could just paper over the cracks, pretend like nothing ever happened?
Ha, dream on! Shela was determined to let Malinda face the truth!
These things would stick in Malindaâs heart like a thom, taking rool and growing, turning into a constant source of heartache.
Given time⦠who knows, Malinda might just get depressed and pass away
The door to the hospital room was ajar, and a duty nurse walked by, glancing inside casually, then suddenly exclaimed, âDoctor! Doctor!â Malinda had fallen from her wheelchair, lying on the floor, her body trembling slightly, then she became motionless.
Letitia knew nothing of this. After leaving, she went straight to the office.
Having been in the hospital for two days, she had fallen behind on work and needed to catch up.
She didnât stop until 8 PM, finally shutting down her computer and stretching.
âLetâs go, letâs go, Samson emerged from his office, Time for a meeting.â
âMr. Stewart? Youâre still here?®
Letitia had been so focused that she hadnât paid any attention to her surroundings.
âYep, lots of us are working hard. Chop chop.â
Letitia stood up to follow, âWhere are we off to?â
Samson replied, Conference room, to discuss the acquisition of the âSunbeam Gemsâ jewelry brand from the Sullivan Group. Because of that, everyoneâs been running nonstop.â
âElginâs actually going for itâ¦â
âHe always walks the talk.â
Letitia felt a chill, Howâs it going so far?â
âSmooth sailing. Samson answered. âWhen Gin sets his mind on something, he goes for the kill.â
Inside the conference room, Elgin was already seated at the head of the table
Usually, he made a grand entrance last.
The room was packed, and outside it was pitch black, with only neon lights adorning the city.
As Letitia walked in, she heard Vidonia say, âMr. Ramirez, buying Sunbeam Gems isnât a must. Once our Ramirez Romantica breaks into the market, itâs only a matter of time before we overtake Sunbeam Gems.
âI canât wait.â
âMr. Ramirez, are you in such a rush? Vidonia analyzed, âBuying now will cost us millions more. If we wait until Ramirez Romantica is established and then buy the declining Sunbeam Gems, we could save a fortune.â
âWhat Iâm short on is time, not money, Elgin retorted.
Vidonia was left speechless. Why was Elgin in such a hurry?
It wasnt her money, so she wasnât hurting, but she was worried about Waldenâs career prospects at the Sullivan Group.
Back in college, when Walden and Letitia were engaged, heâd done her a lot of favors.
You gotta remember the good people do for you.
Vidonie wanted to say more, but Letitia came over and tugged at her to stop her.
Elgin glanced at Letitia, his expression cool and detached.
Chapter 67
âLetâs get this meeting started, Samson said, âthe acquisition talks are underway, and the Sullivan Group has no defense. Todayâs agenda is to discuss how to manage Sunbeam Gems, integrate its style into Ramirez Romantica, leam from its strengths..â
The meeting dragged on until nearly midnight, everyone was drained.
â
But thatâs how it was with Elgin pushing for urgency, the whole company had to hustle.
âLetitia, you holding up okay?â Vidonia whispered as the meeting broke up. âYouâre pregnant, staying up is not good for you.â
âNo worries, I got plenty of rest in the hospital, Iâm full of energy.â
âDonât push yourself, coming in later tomorrow wonât hurt.â Vidonia whispered conspiratonally. âIll clock in for you.â
Letitia whispered back, âDid you forget I have to ride with Elgin to the office?â
Vidonia sighed, then pursed her lips and walked away
Letitia also got ready to leave, but Elginâs gaze swept over her. He didnât say a word, but she got the message.
Silently, Letitia sat back down, pretending to organize her papers, stalling for time
Once everyone had left, Elgin spoke up coolly. âYouâre pretty sharp, arenât you?â
She kept quiet.
âYouâve got nothing to say?â Elgin asked
âWhatâs the point it wouldnât change anything. She didnât want him to buy Sunbeam Gems, wanted to leave Walden a way out, but would Elgin agree? No chance.
âGood that you know,â Elgin tilted his chin up. âRemember, nobody who crosses me ever ends up well.â
âItâs just you being possessive. Walden and I have nothing between us
Elgin suddenly stood up, pushing his chair back, âNothing? You were engaged to him, together under your parentsâ blessing, and you tell me nothing?â
That was the real thorn in Elginâs side!
Before he came into Letitiaâs life, she and Walden were the picture-perfect couple, their relationship out in the open and blessed! Just thinking about it drove Elgin mad with jealousy!
âI had an engagement to him, with our parents overseeing it,â Letitia said, âBut when you entered my life, he went abroad, leaving me behind. So, I have no feelings for him!â
Elgin looked at her with deep, serious eyes, âSo, you guys got all your business done before I showed up, huh?â
âNope, Letitia shook her head, âWalden⦠heâs always been super respectful towards me.â
Before they were officially hitched, Walden was nothing but a gentleman, never stepping out of line.
âHe didnât lay a finger on you after you got engaged?â
âNever,â Letitia replied, âHeâs a real stand-up guy.â
âOr maybe he just canât cut it,â Elgin snickered
For some unknown reason, Letitiaâs brain misfired, âWell, you havenât laid a finger on me either. Does that mean you canât cut it too?â
Thatâs like the ultimate no-go zone for a guy. A direct hit to the pride!
âLetitia, if you really wanna test if Iâm a man or notâ¦â
She gulped and bolted outta there, âNope, never mind!â
She totally took back what she said!
Elgin watched her retreating figure, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Letitia didnât look back as she walked out. The Ramirez Group was all quiet at midnight, not a soul in sight outside.