Chapter 91

Chapter 91

I was shocked to find Kevin in Bryxton. Right then, I recalled how he called me that morning. Did

something happen to Shawn? Kevin wouldn't be here if something happened to Shawn, right? "So, you

still remember my name, huh?" Kevin stepped forward to pat me on my head in a rather intimate

manner. However, I had only met him once—I wouldn't say I was that close to him.

I therefore responded with an awkward laugh while Kevin began to question me in an inquisitive tone.

"I saw the video online. Tsk, tsk. Myra, you sure mingle around with a lot of men. Are you trying to

infuriate Shawn?" he commented. This had got nothing to do with Shawn, and he had no right to be

angry at me. However, I felt troubled as it seemed like my private matters were being spread out across

the table for everyone to discuss openly. Who are they to do this?!

"What has this got to do with Shawn?" I asked. However, Kevin wasn't listening to me at all—he was

teasing me with a playful look on his face. "I used to love you so, so much—just the sound of your

name used to send tingles down my spine. I would've jumped in front of a car for you! I still feel

nervous even as I look at you now!" he uttered. "Tsk, tsk. You sounded so sincere when you said all of

that. This means that you were still messing around with another man just two months ago. What a

player! I wonder what Shawn is thinking now. He probably wants to strangle you at this point," Kevin

commented.

The fact that Kevin could recite every single word I had uttered last night had already felt like a stab in

my heart. Kevin made it even worse by bringing Shawn up. Kevin was really poking all of my sore

spots. "Kevin!" I shouted.

When he saw that I was angry, he stopped teasing me and got to the main topic instead. "Here's the

serious news. I dropped by to pass you some contracts."

"What contracts?" I was puzzled.

"They're from Xenos Solutions," Kevin uttered. Why do the Xenos want to sign a contract with the

Felixs? "Did Shawn tell you to bring this to me?" I asked again.

"Why are you calling him by his first name?!" Kevin shot me a side glare.

I was speechless. Aren't names meant to be called? I ignored him, and he continued to talk after that.

"He didn't directly tell me to hand you any contracts, but he did mention something about the fall of your

company's shares. He mentioned that you guys would need some new names to boost the value of

your shares, so we figured that Xenos Solutions could help you out by handing you a few contracts.

Shawn simply nodded in response to that, so I assumed that he's willing to form a partnership with you

guys! Are you grateful that you've got me, Myra?" Kevin was clearly waiting for me to praise him. He

had completely treated me like his own family member, and I was grateful for that, but I genuinely didn't

need the Xenos Solutions' contracts right then.

I had decided that there were certain things I had to deal with on my own. "Thank you, Kevin. However,

I've decided to deal with the Felixs' matters on my own. I trust that everything will get better in the

future. I have some skills too, you know?" I rejected Kevin's offer in a gentle manner. I was only 14

when I took over the business, and I had been through so much on my own. I knew that I was able to

confront matters alone this time.

"Did you just decline our offer?" Kevin was dumbfounded.

I told him my concerns. "Look, Kevin. Now, the whole world knows that Shawn was the one who carried

me away. If I engage in any partnerships with Xenos Solutions now, I'd have to rely on Shawn for the

rest of my life!" There'd be no equality and no competition if all of the Xenos' resources were available

to me. This wasn't helpful for the growth of the company. Furthermore, in the long run, the public would

eventually perceive Felix Corporation as a subunit in Xenos Solution. That wasn't what I wanted.

Upon hearing my words, Kevin stared at me as if I was a hidden gem. "You sure know what's going on,

Myra! To be honest, there were a few similarly large companies who had asked for Xenos Solutions'

help with forming partnerships. Do you want to guess what happened to them?"

"What?" she asked.

"The companies who lived beneath the glowing light of the Xenos Solutions were eventually devoured

by our company. The Xenos Family has the power to fight an army and stop the chaos in the outside

world. We can practically protect anyone who needs it," Kevin uttered. The Xenos Family means

Shawn. I didn't know he was so capable. But why did he always get injured?

I was about to part my lips to ask this question, but Kevin let out a smirk before answering me. "He

likes taking risks on his own."

I was speechless. Is he getting all these injuries just for the pure purpose of enjoyment? He must be

sick in the head! "Is he a masochist?" I asked after.

Kevin let out a hearty laugh. "You're dead meat! No one ever says that about Shawn. I'm going to tell

him about it when I get back."

I was speechless once more. Kevin's about to reach his twenties—why is he still so childish? I couldn't

be bothered to talk to him. Eventually, he brought the contracts away and left Bryxton. He came and left

in such a rush. He probably had nothing better to do!

By the time his figure was gone, I returned to the company to find people from the public relations

department brainstorming about ways to resolve this matter. They were coming up with extremely

official and formal ideas that the netizens on Twitter would never fall for. I frowned before entering my

office. Later that afternoon, my assistant told me that the Felixs' shares had dropped another 2%. That

was 400 million.

Since the whole incident had just occurred today, it would take one day for things to settle before the

shares would plummet again the next day. I had to find a way to save the Felix Corporation. Previously,

Nicholas had spent some money to hide all the videos of Merlin and I kissing—the Felixs' shares didn't

seem to drop much during then. Following that incident was the video of me kneeling in front of the

church doors and throwing my pride away. This caused a 5% fall—about 1 billion in market shares.

After this huge gossip between Christopher and I, the shares had already seen a 2% drop on the same

day itself. I couldn't imagine what things would look like the next day.

The Felix Family was going to struggle under such huge pressure. Once the Felix Family was visibly

drained, the other families who had resented us for long would start taking action. Furthermore,

Nicholas had taken a lot from my family after our three-year-marriage. The Felix Family was in danger

this time. I felt extremely anxious, especially after Chairman Forger gave me a call in the evening. He

wanted to meet immediately.

The entire business industry was aware of my return to Bryxton even before I entered my office that

morning, so it was no secret. I had intended to come up with some excuse to reject the man, but

Chairman Forger didn't seem ready to take no for an answer. "I'm at the coffee place below your office,

Renee."

He was a senior, and he had come all the way to visit, so I'd be rude and shameless if I still insisted on

rejecting him! "I'll be there," I finally replied after giving it some thought. I knew Chairman Forger well.

He was a father who always spoke up for Nicholas, and a father-in-law who would often be there to

comfort me. He was a really good father-in-law. Oh, perhaps I should call him my ex-father-in-law.

After a while, I headed downstairs to find that Chairman Forger had already made a new pot of tea. He

gestured for me to sit down when he saw me. After sitting down, I took a glance at the gloomy skies

outside. "I don't think Bryxton has ever had a single sunny day."

He followed my gaze and looked out the window before sighing. "Yeah. This city has been the same for

the past 60 years of my life," he replied. Bryxton was a gloomy and cold place, just like my broken

heart. I figured that I wasn't suited to stay in this place.

I narrowed my eyes as I noticed a handsome man standing by the edge of the road. "Are you helping

him with this?" I asked. Is he trying to help Nicholas to ask me out? Chairman Forger shot an

exasperated glance at Nicholas, who was smoking a cigarette by the side of the road. "He was the one

who insisted on following. He has made too many mistakes, Renee. I can't ask for your forgiveness,

nor can I ask you to give him another chance. I just… I wish you guys could be happy together, but I

understand that some things can't be forced, so I don't want to talk about Nicholas anymore. Everything

depends on your own decision, Renee," he uttered.

I stared at the old man dumbfoundedly. I hadn't expected him to say such a thing—he was completely

different from the man I used to know! I clutched onto my teacup as I made an interpretation of his

words. "Don't worry. I won't show up in the Forger Family with this infertile body of mine."

"That's not what I meant!" The chairman hastily clarified his words. "I've never thought that infertility

was a problem..." He paused for a moment, whereupon I looked up to meet his gaze. "Then, did you

come here just to utter those words of comfort?"

My voice was calm, and the chairman seemed rather stunned by this. "I actually came because of my

other son, Christopher. I'd like to talk to you about him," the man said honestly.

He called Christopher his son. All of a sudden, I realized that he had shown up in the role of a father

that day, and I could already guess what he was going to say. How brutal!

"You saw the video?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was shocked," Chairman Forger took a sip of his tea to calm himself down before continuing. "I

wouldn't be as surprised if Nick had uttered those words since he's a more emotional man, but

Christopher…" He termed one child by a nickname and the other child by his full name—even a blind

man could tell who the chairman was biased toward.

I lowered my gaze and sipped on my tea for a while as the man continued speaking. "That son of mine

is quiet and reserved—he has never communicated with me in the past. I sometimes feel like Nicholas

was my only son! But after seeing that video of him asking you how you could bear to give up on him…

I felt my heart hurting for Christopher, Renee. I don't want to see him like that," he uttered.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked the chairman.

"I don't want you to destroy him," he replied.

I was speechless. Being with Nicholas would mean that we could live happily ever after while being

with Christopher would mean that I was destroying him. I wasn't sure if I could comprehend the

chairman's logic. "Please don't agree to his request," the chairman begged. He wants me to say no to

Christopher… Who is he to tell me what to do?

I got out of my seat and left the store abruptly. When I saw Nicholas, who had been waiting by the side

of the road, I didn't know how to respond to him. I ended up spreading my mouth into a grin. "Don't

talk," I ordered him.

Nicholas was dressed in a black, short-sleeved shirt, which was a rare sight. His fringe lay obediently

on his forehead as he gazed at me. "I don't want to listen to any explanation, nor do I ever want to be

involved with you again. Congratulations. You'll eventually get married to a healthy wife and have a

child."

Nicholas parted his lips, as if he were about to say something, but he kept quiet in the end. I walked

past him and returned to the company. As I looked down from my office more than ten floors above, I

could still see him standing there.

That night, Quinn gave me a call, but I blocked her number without picking the call up. I didn't know

how to face her yet, so I decided to block her out and deal with the Felix Family's matters before

thinking about her. The moment I blocked her number, I realized how I had turned into a decisive

woman. I could follow my heart without any hesitation at all. I stayed in the office and headed home

only after I saw that Nicholas had left his spot. When I stepped out of the building, a cold and soothing

breeze greeted me.

The weather was cooling, so I decided to walk home. On the way back, I bought some flowers. I had

intended to buy roses, but the stalls didn't sell any of them, so I picked a few other flowers before

heading home. On the way back, I realized a pair of footsteps following behind me. The footsteps got

closer and closer, and I eventually turned around with a smile on my face. "What are you doing here?"

The person's face was just like Nicholas', but I could immediately tell the difference between the two of

them. "It's too late. I'm walking you home," Christopher replied with a slight smile.

I took a glance at the main road. "It's not dangerous here," I replied.

"Sure. Just keep walking." Christopher's only intention seemed to be walking me home—he didn't look

like he wanted to say anything else. So, I turned back to the front and continued walking toward my

residential area. The footsteps behind me were quiet, and I speed-walked into my condominium without

bidding goodbye to him on the way up. I dumped my flowers and headed over to my window.

Christopher was still standing at my front entrance, and he stayed there for about five minutes before

he left.

What he was doing now reminded me of how I was like five years ago. Now, it was his turn to tag along

behind me. It seemed like Christopher could find me wherever I was—it was like he could appear in

front of my face whenever he wanted to. I recalled what he said about traveling the world and meeting

influential people, and I realized how he might be more powerful than I thought, even without inheriting

anything from the Forger Family.

I turned around and picked up the flowers before looking for a vase to stick them in. After washing up

and taking my medication, I lay down on the bed, just in time to receive a text from Olivia. 'I've never

seen anyone like him,' the text said. She was referring to Christopher. Christopher was the only person

we talked about, and most of our conversations were one-sided.

I was certain that everyone who had seen the video must have heard what he had said. "I came to look

for you here nine years ago," he had said. Christopher and I were truly not fated for one another.

I shoved my regrets aside and logged in to my Twitter account before tapping into the trending topic,

'Street Where Wind Resides'. Many of the netizens seemed sad in the threads—they were all sad after

listening to the song. I doubted if those netizens actually understood the meaning of the song—most of

them were probably just following the trend and feeling sad for no reason.

I scrolled through some comments to see a great number of them cursing at me. I had no idea what

they were thinking—they probably had nothing better to do. I hadn't found a solution to the situation at

that point, but I knew that I had to find it before the sun rose. My public relations department was still

working right then.

I exited the application and thought about it for a while before replying to Olivia's text. 'It was the first

time I've seen him act like this, Olivia. It wasn't what I hoped for.'

Ideally, I would prefer Christopher to stay the way he did in the past, back when he had never appeared

in my life. I found it hard to face him right then. 'I'm really envious of you,' Olivia replied. Her text left me

speechless—I didn't know how to respond to her. It felt like I would be pretentious no matter how I

structured my reply. I was the one who won Christopher over, after all.

'I can't afford to be with him,' I replied after a long while. Ultimately, Olivia couldn't understand the

distance between Christopher and I. We were too far apart to ever arrive on the other person's end of

things. 'You have to be brave sometimes, Renee,' Olivia texted.

Sure, I have to be brave sometimes. But sometimes, I don't even have the chance to be brave. I have

so many things on my plate, and Nicholas… I just don't want to date anymore. I want to set myself free.

Anyway, it's rather odd for Olivia to convince me to be with Christopher. 'Let's stop talking about him,' I

replied eventually.

Oliva didn't reply after that. If she understood what I meant, she probably knew that I didn't want to talk

about Christopher anymore. I exited my WhatsApp and hesitated for a long while before calling Shawn.

However, the line was busy. Right as I was about to end the call in disappointment, I heard a husky

voice coming from the other end of the line. "Mhmm?" he mumbled. For some reason, I felt comforted

just by his voice.

"Shawn," I cried. He didn't respond. Kevin told me that Shawn had seen the video, and I felt utterly

helpless after that. After what happened with the Felix Family and all my relationship issues, I could no

longer hold myself back from talking to him. "I'm not a flirtatious woman. I just ended up loving the

wrong person… I was in too deep by the time I realized it," I cried.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked coldly. He was really like a heartless robot. He didn't care about

my matters, and he didn't even know how to comfort me at a time like this. "It's nothing much," I finally

replied.

"Myra," he called out abruptly.

"What?" I whispered.

His icy voice came from the other end of the call. "No matter what happens, this is all part of life. It

doesn't matter if this brings you joy or suffering—you'll have to face it and experience it on your own,"

he said.

How did he turn into such a thoughtful listener all of a sudden? I pressed my lips together as I listened

to him talk. "The outside world is a harsh and complicated place. Regardless of how tough it may be,

you'll have to try to handle it on your own. So, you don't have to tell me anything because I won't

comfort you at all. However, I want you to be clear about this—no matter what happens, no matter how

pathetic, plain, or useless you may seem, I will always be protecting you from my end."

"Shawn…" I mumbled. I had never expected someone as quiet as him to utter so many words in one

go. Everything that he said seemed to soothe all the anxiety that I felt within me. But that one sentence

claiming that he wouldn't comfort me was truly a heartless killer!

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Thank you," I said.

"No worries," he uttered coldly. He was truly the one person who treated me the best. I quietly made a

decision before pulling my phone out and opening my Twitter application. There were a lot of things I

wanted to write about, but I had to organize my thoughts. I wrote the title, 'Renee's Nine Years'.

These nine years felt both long and short at the same time. The toughest part of it was my three years

of marriage with Nicholas, especially in the recent months. I felt like my life was threatened at one

point. Clair saved me the first time, and Shawn saved me the second time. Clair saved me because I

was family, while Shawn… For some reason, I felt safe when I thought about that cold and heartless

man. It seemed like I had found strength through the support he gave me.

…

I may have to confront the harsh reality on my own, but at least I know that Shawn will be there no

matter what happens to me. Just that thought itself gave me an unreasonable amount of joy. Oh,

Shawn, I've never felt so lucky until I met you.

In the past, I had never paid much attention to Shawn's existence in my life. I felt like I was just

enjoying his unconditional care. After that, I lowered my phone and pulled out a piece of white paper

before writing three large words in a cursive font.

'Renee's Nine Years.'