The Scent of 358

Before Jorge could finish his sentence, Theodore cut him off. “You’re trying to say that he’s siding with Celeste again and bullying Ms. Locket, aren’t you?”

Jorge was surprised that Theodore hit the nail on the head. Old man, how’d you know? Don’t tell me you already know what happened?”

Theodore replied, “I don’t. I guessed.”

Back when Celeste and Matthias agreed to work with his foolish son for his sake, it was clear they wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for him in the workplace

His son also wasn’t the kind to stir up trouble at work for no reason. So, even if they couldn’t become friends, their professional relationship should have stayed smooth.

If Jorge didn’t clash with Matthias or Celeste personally, then the conflict likely involved someone he cared about -probably Wynn.

Earlier that year, when he’d met with Kael, Celeste, and the others for dinner, they’d happened to run into Wynn at the restaurant entrance.

At the time, seeing how attentive his son was to her–and considering her looks, demeanor, and manners–he had been quite pleased.

But after dinner, Harold informed him that Wynn was Trevor’s girlfriend.

Theodore didn’t know the full story between Celeste and Trevor, but that day, when Celeste and Matthias saw Wynn and her father, their expressions were… telling.

They clearly didn’t like Wynn or her father.

Celeste wasn’t the type to clash with people without reason. If his son ended up in conflict with Celeste, it was likely because-

Suspecting that Wynn was involved, Theodore had called Jorge that very day to confirm. And sure enough, it was because of Wynn.

Then, when he heard that Jorge believed Celeste was targeting Wynn out of jealousy–afraid that Matthias might fall for her and that Matthias was “blinded by lust” and siding with Celeste unfairly, he nearly laughed from sheer exasperation.

Thinking of all that, Theodore chuckled angrily and asked, “So what? You want me to contact Zachary, tell him everything that’s happened, and get him to rein in Matthias?”

“Yes,” Jorge replied. “Matthias has gone way overboard this time. If this continues, I really think-”

Theodore cut him off again.

He didn’t plan on telling him the full truth, so he simply said, “That’s not a conversation I can start. If you want to help Ms. Locket, you contact Zachary yourself.”

Jorge frowned. “Old man, it’s not just about helping her. I actually like Matthias and respect him–I don’t want to see him keep acting so recklessly-”

So, he still thought the problem lay with Celeste?

Hearing that, Theodore’s temple twitched. “Matthias is being reckless? Why do I get the feeling it’s not that at all? Maybe you’re the one being irrational because you’re biased toward that Wynn Locket-”

Chapter 358

+25 BONUS

“You don’t even know what happened,” Jorge interrupted. How can you be so sure I’m the one being irrational?”

Theodore was stunned. “Then tell me exactly what happened.”

Jorge gave a rough rundown of the situation.

After listening, Theodore said flatly, “This whole mess is clearly Ms. Locket’s fault. As the company leader, she didn’t handle things properly from the start.

“Instead, she joined her employees and family in scolding and trying to protect them while undermining YodaVision’s staff. If I were Matthias, I’d be furious too.

“And besides, this incident shows that her family lacks judgment and doesn’t understand the stakes. They also don’t show proper respect for their business partners. I imagine if they weren’t afraid of the losses from breaking the contract with YodaVision, they probably wouldn’t have even apologized.

“So, from Matthias’s point of view, not wanting to work with them anymore is completely reasonable.”

Jorge tried to defend Wynn. “That’s not true. They apologized to the YodaVision employee very quickly, and afterward, she even personally called Matthias to apologize She was sincerely trying to make amends.”

In his view, if it weren’t for the grudge between Celeste and Wynn, Matthias wouldn’t have wanted to terminate the contract with InnovaTech over something so minor.

“That’s just surface–level,” Theodore said, clearly not wanting to argue further. “Ms. Locket already has a boyfriend. When I mentioned this to you before, you said you knew.

“At first, I didn’t know much about her. When I met her, I thought she seemed impressive. But now, it’s clear her character isn’t that great. The way she handles things–she’ll never amount to much.

“Honestly, son, you and Trevor both have terrible taste in women.”

Jorge didn’t expect such harsh words from Theodore.

A

Just as he was about to speak up on Wynn’s behalf, trying to make him see how excellent she really was, Theodore cut him off again. “Alright, if you want to help her, I won’t stop you. But if you want me to help–forget it.” 1

With that, Theodore hung up.