Chapter 1540: Don’t thank me yet

[PRESENT TIME]

Slater slowly opened his eyes, sliding them to the side where Benjamin and Allen were chatting. Allen had been filling Benjamin in on all the office gossip, and since Benjamin’s mood had finally hit an all-time high since fighting with Mint, he listened intently and even added his own sarcastic comments.

Slater let out a shallow sigh of relief and smiled subtly.

They’re going to be fine, he thought, turning to the window beside him. Thanks to Second Brother, who’s been hands-on in helping Mint.

Everyone knew that if not for Hugo, things could’ve ended terribly for Mint. The people who ambushed her had come prepared. And even though Slater knew Mint’s life was in danger, he couldn’t always watch her full-time.

Slater had been busy—not with the shows or the work he was supposed to be doing—but with many other things.

Still, this was a good sign... or perhaps not.

Either way, no one was dead yet. Or incarcerated.

I need some results soon,

But it wasn’t just Mint’s death that worried him. It was who would be next. In their previous life, Zoren had been next. Slater wasn’t sure if Zoren had done anything to warrant a death sentence from those people this time around, but just to be safe—

It won’t happen again, he swore silently. Not Mint’s death, and not anyone else’s.

Because in this lifetime, Mint wasn’t just a target. She was a friend—his boss. And her cousin, Benjamin, was no longer "that cousin" or the wailing man. He was Slater’s chocolate buddy.

They were his friends now, and this time, Slater could only make amends by making sure they wouldn’t go through the same pain again.

---

Meanwhile...

Kiara dragged her feet back to the small warehouse, lifelessly. She had been awake all night, running from place to place, only to get rejected. Each rejection chipped away at her bit by bit.

As she neared the entrance, she stopped in her tracks.

Stephen’s car was parked right outside.

"Ugh..." she groaned weakly. "Not again."

The last thing Kiara wanted was to be nagged by Stephen Bennet. She still didn’t understand why this man kept pestering her. Her best guess was that he wanted to be "hands-on" so his clients wouldn’t leave him.

But his requests always came with some ridiculous catch in exchange for "information." Information she didn’t even have to begin with.

"God... can this day get any worse?" she whispered, almost tempted to turn around. But she had no choice. She had missed the entire morning at the office and needed to get some work done before calling it a day—maybe sneak in a power nap after helping out with production.

When Kiara entered, one of her staff approached her.

"Miss Kiara, are you alright?" the staff asked, eyeing her from head to toe. "You look..."

"Horrible. I know." Kiara nodded and waved her off. "Is CEO Bennet inside?"

The question snapped the staffer to attention. "Uh, yes. He’s been here for about two hours. I figured letting him wait in the production area wouldn’t help the workers."

"I see," she murmured. "Please make me a coffee."

"Yes, ma’am."

Kiara sighed and made her way to the office door. But she didn’t go in right away. She gripped the doorknob and sighed again, gathering what little energy she had left before stepping inside.

"CEO Bennet, what is it this time—" Kiara stopped mid-sentence when she saw Stephen rise from the couch.

It wasn’t his action that caught her off guard, but the grim look on his face.

Her internal alarm bells rang as she quietly closed the door behind her. "CEO Bennet, is something wrong?"

He had visited many times before just to pester her, but this was the first time she’d seen that look on his face. She braced herself for bad news.

"I..." Stephen cleared his throat. "There’s nothing wrong, Miss Kiara."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He nodded reassuringly. "I’m just checking in on you, that’s all."

Kiara furrowed her brows, walking slowly toward the old couch in her modest industrial office. She studied his face, confused by the shift in his demeanor.

Stephen opened his mouth, then shut it. He sighed and raised his hand as if surrendering.

"Fine," he said. "I know it’s not my place, but I heard the woman in the news—Cassandra Smith—is a close friend of yours."

Kiara frowned. "Sir, I know my deal with Global Prime Logistics benefits me more than it does you. But this is a very personal matter—"

"Many months ago, in case you didn’t know, my son was also arrested," Stephen interjected, cutting her off. "And I understand this is personal for you. I’ve been in those shoes."

"..." Kiara blinked. "Your son was... arrested?"

"Yes. It didn’t make the news like this one did, but he was," Stephen sighed. "I can’t say he was completely innocent, but... I know how hard it is to watch someone you love get taken away—and be powerless to stop it, because the law must be followed."

He walked over and gave her shoulder a firm pat. "I don’t know if I can help, but I’ll try. I’ll make some calls. Just don’t expect too much right away."

"You should rest," he added, noting how pale she looked. "I’ll call if I hear anything. For now, if anyone offers to help in exchange for a favor, don’t take the bait."

Whether this was the same kind of situation he faced or not, it didn’t hurt to lay it out clearly.

"You’ve done your best today, Miss Kiara," he said with a nod and a faint smile. "Rest for now. Then do your best again tomorrow."

The corners of Kiara’s eyes turned red as she bit her lower lip, trying to keep her tears at bay.

Who would’ve thought?

That the last person she expected comforting words from would be the same annoying pest who’d been bothering her for months?

"Thank you," she murmured, forcing out a breath as Stephen tapped her shoulder again.

"Don’t thank me yet," he replied, pulling his hand back. "I’ll try and see what I can do. Thank me if I manage to help."