Chapter 153



Hearing Irene’s account, Kallie felt a twinge of unease. She hadn’t realized things were so serious on Brent’s end. Despite this, Brent was doing his utmost to assist her.

Boris, who seldom interacted with Kallie, consistently kept a cordial tone during their brief exchanges and had even offered help the last time they met.

Yet Kallie couldn’t dismiss a nagging suspicion about Boris’ true intentions. It seemed there might be layers to this situation yet uncovered.

Both Brent and Boris noticed Kallie simultaneously.

Brent made to walk over, but Boris was quicker, dashing toward Kallie with enthusiasm.

Boris called out, voice tinged with surprise, “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

Kallie offered a polite smile, typing a message on her phone explaining she was here to meet Brent.

“Kallie is a friend,” Brent told Boris sharply. “You should concentrate on understanding the project over there. They want you to learn from me, not delve into my private life.”

A frown crossed Boris’ face, his expression wounded. “Brent, why must you put it that way? You know I don’t have a choice. They—”

“That’s enough,” Brent said, cutting Boris off with an impatient wave of his hand. “Can you leave now?”

Boris, with a reluctant nod, turned and left.

Kallie watched Boris go, her brow furrowed with concern. She typed some words on her phone, cautioning Brent not to antagonize Boris on her account. After all, with Jake’s watchful eyes on Brent, making an enemy of Boris could complicate things further.

Brent’s face remained stern. “I’m not targeting him because of you. I genuinely can’t stand the guy. If he wasn’t my aunt’s son, I’d have thrown him out a long time ago. Anyway, let’s drop that subject. What brings you here today?”

With his abrupt change of topic, Brent glanced at Irene with a trace of irritation.

Sensing Brent was not to blame, Kallie signaled that she was the one who had stubbornly insisted on getting out for some fresh air, likely benefiting the baby’s growth.

Brent’s demeanor softened slightly. “In that case, just be careful.”

Out of earshot, Boris stood observing their interaction. Brent’s evident concern for Kallie sparked an idea in his mind.

After some prodding from Kallie, Brent finally opened up about the troubles the Hayes family faced.

Essentially, a long-time client had suddenly stabbed the Hayes family in the back.

“It doesn’t matter if they don’t want to work with us. After all, cooperation is supposed to be mutual,” Brent said with a shrug.

Despite Brent’s desire for peace, the client seemed uninterested in coexisting harmoniously in the future.

Worse, the client had resorted to underhanded tactics, and now they were even sabotaging the reputation of the Hayes family’s products within the industry.

The client claimed their past cooperation was largely due to Jerome’s involvement. However, with Jerome no longer in the picture, the operation and the quality had deteriorated under Brent’s leadership. Goods were frequently substandard or defective.

The client claimed this issue had always been present but was previously overlooked to maintain the relationship between the two families. Yet, following recent events, they declared that the Hayes family had wasted their final opportunity at collaboration.

Kallie felt a wave of sympathy for Brent.

Even when Jerome was well, Brent had been the one managing most of the Hayes family’s affairs.

What the client said about Brent amounted to defamation, though the motive remained a mystery.

As Brent massaged his temples, weariness etched on his face, he noticed Kallie’s concerned expression. He couldn’t resist reassuring her. “This is my problem. Don’t worry about it. You should rest.”

However, Kallie shook her head and quickly typed a message on her phone. “Can you tell me what kind of person you’ve been dealing with? I assume if they were truly unreasonable, you wouldn’t have kept the partnership for so long.”

Brent’s lips curled into a bitter smile, admiration flickering in his eyes as he regarded Kallie. Her insight surprised him.

Brent replied, “That’s the strange part. Despite their temper, they’ve always been reliable. If we hadn’t provoked them, I doubt they’d have acted this way. But for some reason, despite my attempts to reach out and communicate, we just can’t seem to resolve our differences.”

Brent was at his breaking point. The client held a significant standing in the industry. If he failed to mend this situation and word got out, it could lead to widespread skepticism about the Hayes Group.

Despite being a sizable entity, the Hayes Group was not immune to the damages of a sullied reputation.

Brent was well aware that even a minor mishap could cause tremendous fallout. Without a resolution, further complications were inevitable.

After a brief pause, Kallie typed down messages, suggesting she might have a solution.

Just then, Boris dashed over, his eyes alight with enthusiasm. “Brent, their manager has agreed to a meeting to discuss the issues.”

Brent, who was usually indifferent to Boris, couldn’t suppress a grin of approval this time. “You actually got them to the negotiating table? Seems you’re not without merit after all.”

Boris flashed a fawning smile, eager to win Brent over. “I may have a way with words. I’m here to assist you.”

Despite Boris’ effort to flatter him, Brent remained unimpressed. He had little patience for people like Boris, who cloaked their true intentions with pleasantries.

Brent just kept his gaze on Boris. “As your cousin, I’ll be straightforward. As long as you and your mother keep out of trouble, I’ll take care of you both.”

A flicker of feigned confusion crossed Boris’ face, seemingly missing the veiled threat in Brent’s tone. He replied, “Don’t worry. Consider this your lucky day. I’ll follow your lead.”

Brent chose not to respond and walked ahead with Kallie.

Boris trailed them, managing to fall in step with Kallie.

When Brent was distracted, Boris initiated a conversation with Kallie.

“Kallie,” Boris’ expression was one of concern. “I know you’re close to my cousin. I wanted to ask you something. You might have noticed that Brent seems to have an issue with me, though I’m not sure why. I’ve been doing my best to show him my dedication.”

Kallie could have dismissed Boris, but she recalled how Boris had stepped in when she and Brent were caught by the paparazzi last time. She owed him for that.

Pausing thoughtfully, Kallie began to type a response on her phone.

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