Chapter 647 âWe donât know whether or not Mr. Larson is in the hospital. Please donât let the rumors affect our cooperation,â Vivian hurriedly explained. âYouâve done business with the Larson Group before, so Iâm sure you already know what the company is capable of. Donât worry.â
Noticing that the atmosphere was getting a little awkward, Liam decided to act as a peacemaker by smiling and saying, âMiss Cooper, youâre new here. I know itâs inappropriate of us to make things hard for you, but I hope you understand my and Mr. Cruzâs worries. Our companies arenât big companies like the Larson Group. We canât afford the losses. How about this? We can sign this contract, but we request a video call to communicate directly with Mr. Larson.â
Gifford crossed his arms and nodded. âYes. If we can confirm that Brandon isnât in the hospital, we can sign the contract.â
âIâm afraid itâs an inconvenient time for Mr. Larson to do that right now. How about we delay the signing of the contract? Itâs almost lunch time anyway.
Would you like me to treat you to lunch first?â Vivian asked.
Her voice was shaky as she glanced at the time on her watch.
Gifford sneered. He then stood up and picked up the documents. âWe just wanted to see Brandon, but you wonât let us. I bet heâs so sick that he canât even get out of bed. You know what? I wonât sign this contract with your company. Thereâs no point in waiting around here anymore.â
Vivianâs eyes widened. âMr. Cruz, Mr. Lewis, please listen to me!â
Even though she said that, she didnât do anything more to try and persuade them to stay. She was the one who spread the rumors about Brandon, after all. All she knew was that Brandon was in the hospital and she could do whatever she wanted to right now. The termination of the cooperation would undoubtedly confirm Brandonâs illness.
If that were to happen, more companies that partnered with the Larson group would also terminate their contracts, and the company would be in shambles. That was what Vivian wanted to happen.
The assistant anxiously pulled on Vivianâs sleeve. âIs Mr. Larson really sick? He should be here by now if nothing really happened.â
At that time, some employees were gathering outside the meeting room. They were eavesdropping on their conversation.
âI think the project is really going to be canceled,â one of the employees said.
Another employee nodded. âThe rumors are true, then. Mr. Larson might be seriously ill.â
Gifford and Liamâs faces darkened. They picked up the documents and stood up.
Just when they were about to leave, they heard a booming, stentorian voice, saying, âWhere are you two going? We havenât signed the contract yet!â
âIsnât that Mr. Larsonâs voice?â
Gifford and Liam looked back at the same time. The employees that were standing at the door of the meeting room also looked at where the voice came from.
The man coming their way was wearing shiny leather shoes and a black suit jacket on top of a dress shirt.
His aura was indescribably domineering as he narrowed his eyes and looked around.
It was Brandon.
âMr. Larson! Youâre back!â
Everyoneâs eyes lit up the moment they saw him. They looked at him as if he was their savior.
Upon hearing the commotion outside, Vivian ran out in a panic. Her face turned pale when she saw Brandon standing outside the door.
Gifford and Liam went over to him while they held the contract in their hands. Noticing that Brandon looked quite healthy and radiant, they asked, âMr.
Larson, youâre here!â
Brandon glanced at Sean behind him with the suitcase in tow and said to the two men in front of him, âSorry, the flight got delayed.â
Liam put on a flattering smile and explained, âThere was a slight misunderstanding just now. We heard a rumor that you were in hospital, so we didnât sign the contract.â
Brandon raised his eyebrows at Liam and asked, âWhat rumor?â
Gifford hesitated at first but eventually told Brandon what he had heard. âHereâs the thing. A few days ago, a photo of you in the hospital circulated on the Internet. Rumor had it you had a serious brain tumor and that you were looking for a neurologist. What was more, your parents-in-law were said to be helping you find the best doctors in the world.â
âThatâs fake news,â Brandon denied expressionlessly. âBut I understand your concerns. If you wish to terminate the cooperation, I wonât stop you.â
Gifford immediately regretted doubting Brandon. Numerous companies were eager to cooperate with the Larson Group. How could he let a groundless rumor cost the hard-won cooperation?
Suddenly, something occurred on Gifford. He pointed his finger at Vivian and concluded, âYou knew that Mr. Larson was on a business trip. And yet, you didnât tell us the truth. You wanted to sabotage this cooperation, didnât you?â
Everyoneâs gazes fell on Vivian.
âThat makes sense. When Mr. Lewis and Mr. Cruz threatened to leave, Vivian didnât stop them. Could it be that she...â an employee conjectured.
âWhat did you expect? Sheâs a member of the Turner family and the one in charge of the Turner Group. How could she truly side with the Larson Group?â another queried.
âCould it be that Vivian went to this company for a reason?â
The employees all stared at Vivian with apparent disgust. Most of them doubted her capabilities. After all, she was already in a high position at such a young age. No wonder she was not liked by everyone. She was enviable.
Meanwhile, Vivian was at a loss for words and could only stand there in embarrassment. What they had said was partly true. She indeed did not stop them from leaving. The thing was, the people she had arranged at the gate of the hospital did not inform her that Brandon had been discharged. She would not have acted like this otherwise.
While everyone was waiting for Vivianâs explanation, Brandon broke the deafening silence.
âWell, donât just stand there. All of you, get back to work.â He scanned the crowd and made up a story on the spot. âVivian here had no idea Iâd come back today as I didnât even tell the staff about my business trip. As for the rumors, I believe that theyâre nothing but nonsense made up by the media.
Donât believe any of it.â
After hearing what Brandon said, Liam and Gifford did not blame Vivian anymore. The rest of the employees then returned to their workstations.
âMr. Larson, shall we go to the meeting room to discuss the contract in detail?â Liam, with a big smile on his face, rubbed his hands together, opened the door of the meeting room, and entered with Brandon.
Vivian, on the other hand, was shut out of the door and could not hear a word they were saying from inside the room.
About ten minutes later, Liam and Gifford walked out with big smiles on their faces. From the looks of it, the signing had gone smoothly.
Vivian interlocked her fingers in anxiety.
Once the two men had left and Brandon was about to return to the meeting room, she grabbed his sleeve.
âMr. Larson, itâs my fault. Iâm sorry...â Vivian lowered her gaze and swallowed hard. She could not even bring herself to meet his eyes.
Brandon turned to look at Vivian with an intense gaze, pulled back his sleeve, and assured her, âIt wasnât your fault. I didnât make it clear to you in the beginning. Just continue what youâve been doing.â âReally, Mr. Larson?â Vivian gasped in surprise. But, at the same time, she was a little scared and skeptical.
âListen. I donât blame you, and you donât have to worry about this again. Besides, a lot of things happened in the past few days. Since everyone has done their best, I want you to book a restaurant and organize a party tonight as a reward for all of your hard work.â
The topic changed so fast that Vivian had no other choice but to set the past aside. She smiled brightly and asked, âWhich restaurant should we go to tonight? Do you have any recommendation, Mr. Larson?â
âHmm. Remember when you had a party in Newden Hotel last time? Their service was good, wasnât it?â Brandon replied without much thought.
Speaking of the hotel, the scene of the waitress falling down the stairs flashed across Vivianâs mind. At the thought of this, her smile froze and her body stiffened.
âMr. Larson, I donât think itâs appropriate to visit to this hotel. This is the place where you and Mrs. Larson quarreled the last time...â Vivian said in a hushed voice.
âOh, itâs fine. We donât even mind, so why should you?â
Brandon smiled and narrowed his eyes as he said slyly.
Vivian was startled by Brandonâs passive-aggressive look. She pursed her lips and decided it would be best for her to stay silent.
However, Brandon was not done intimidating Vivian. He put on a serious expression and asked, âIs there anything about the hotel thatâs worrying you?â
Vivian racked her brain to find an excuse and an idea suddenly flashed through her mind. She regained her composure and replied hurriedly, âMany of us in the company thought the food here a little too spicy. So I thought it would be better to choose another location where the food is more agreeable for our staff. I happen to know a good Japanese restaurant nearby. Perhaps we could go there?â
âItâs mainly because my wife likes the environment of this restaurant very much. If the staff feel that the food is too spicy or something, I can hire another chef to be in charge of tonightâs dishes. Just go ask around what they like to eat.â
Brandon countered her indifferently.
âOh !...Mrs. Larson likes this restaurant...â
The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband ï¤Chatper 646 The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife (Joanna)
ï¤Chapter 1329 Vivian muttered with a forceful smile.
In the evening, the Larson Group had booked the entire Newden Hotel.
Natalie and Brandon entered the dining hall hand in hand.
When Natalie saw Vivian across the room, she walked over and sat at the same table.
Natalie started chatting with Vivian and the other female colleagues.
One of them complimented Natalie, âMrs. Larson, this place is amazing.
The environment is great, and the dishes are fresh and appetizing.â
âI thought you all didnât like the food here. I heard many of you thought the food here was too spicy,â Natalie said innocently, but her eyes were saying otherwise.
Vivian forced a smile and replied hurriedly, âMr. Larson said he would hire another chef to prepare todayâs dinner.
The dishes we had previously were not really suitable to the taste buds of the people in Barnes.â
âIâve been here several times before. The food is delicious, but itâs a little expensive,â a short-haired colleague said as she looked at Vivian curiously.
âVivian is rich and has exquisite tastes. She is different from us ordinary people,â another female colleague said sarcastically.
Vivian clenched her fists silently but controlled her temper and smiled politely at the colleague.
âOkay, the food is here. Letâs just dig in,â Natalie quipped as she tried to diffuse the tension at the table.
While they were eating, a colleague started to gossip.
Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen ï¤Chapter 1187