Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Better Off Not Meeting
Reina West froze. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the sofa, grabbing it for support. She thought everything was going according to her plan, but she never imagined Kenneth Yates had seen through it all long ago.
She had become a laughingstock...
"When did you find out?" Reina West’s expression was grim. Her disheveled hair hung across her face, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked every bit the part of a shrew.
Kenneth Yates took out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Reina choked, coughing uncontrollably. The acrid smoke made her eyes water.
"From the very beginning."
"What... Why?"
"Because I wanted to deliver a perfect counter-attack to the person who tried to set me up." Kenneth leaned closer to Reina, holding the cigarette before her eyes and watching it slowly burn down.
"Alright, now it’s my turn. Excited?" Kenneth tilted Reina’s chin up. Seeing the terror on her face, he finally smiled with satisfaction.
An hour later, the West Group’s stock plummeted by thirty percent. Furthermore, all of their corporate partners halted their investments and severed all ties.
Martin West was frantic. Unaware that Kenneth Yates was pulling the strings, he launched an internal investigation, but it yielded no results. It wasn’t until the company was on the verge of bankruptcy that Reina West finally trudged into the office.
"Reina, don’t bother me right now. The company’s in trouble. Just go home for now." Martin West waved his hand, dismissing her.
But instead of leaving, Reina fell to her knees before Martin West, looking utterly pitiful with her tear-filled eyes.
"Reina, what are you doing?" Martin West quickly stood up and helped her to her feet. "Get up. Daddy will take care of things at the company, you don’t have to worry." He just assumed Reina was terrified by the company’s crisis. After all, she had been a pampered heiress for over twenty years; to suddenly face ruin would be a huge shock.
"No, Daddy, it’s me. The company is like this because of me." Tears streamed down Reina’s face. She was truly terrified, never having expected Kenneth Yates to target the company.
Martin West didn’t understand. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pressed, "Explain yourself, Reina."
"I took that photo, and I’m the one who posted it online. Kenneth Yates already knows. He’s targeting the company to get back at me. Daddy, what do we do?" Reina buried her face in her father’s chest, doing her best to play up her supposed grievance and anxiety. In reality, she was confessing proactively because she was afraid Martin West would disown her in a fit of anger. If she waited for him to uncover the truth himself, it would be too late.
An expression of grim realization and regret filled Martin West’s eyes. Kenneth Yates’s words from that morning hadn’t been baseless, but he had chosen to believe his own daughter and hadn’t looked into it. Now that things had come to this, he had only himself to blame.
If Kenneth Yates had managed to infiltrate the company and was sabotaging it from within, then things were truly dire. ’How could I have raised such a stupid daughter? Even if you’re going to frame someone, you don’t let them find out so quickly. She’s completely brainless.’
Martin West pushed Reina away and walked over to his chair. "That’s enough. Go home. Don’t bother me right now."
Reina looked up in despair. She could feel the complete one-eighty in her father’s attitude toward her.
"Daddy, I was wrong. Please don’t be angry." Reina walked over to her father and clung to his arm.
Martin West’s anger dissipated. "Go home. I’ll handle it." His tone softened considerably, revealing the warmth of his fatherly love. He truly doted on Reina; after all, she was his only daughter.
After returning home, Reina holed up in her room and refused to come out. Frances Taylor stayed with her, equally shocked that things had escalated this far.
"Reina, don’t worry. Your daddy will fix everything." Despite her words, Frances Taylor’s hands were trembling.
Reina was unappreciative, shoving Frances Taylor away. "This is all your fault! It was your idea! That man you found—he must have been exposed! That’s how Kenneth Yates found out!"
Frances Taylor was speechless. She had only concocted this half-baked plan for Reina’s sake. Ever since the hospitalization, Reina’s spirits had been crushed—at one point, she’d even pulled out her own IV drip. Frances Taylor was terrified and wanted to comfort her daughter, but she didn’t know what to say.
With no other options, Martin West had to call Lianne Vance.
"Hello, Lianne? How have you been?" Thankfully, Lianne Vance picked up instead of immediately hanging up.
"Mr. West. Is there something you need?" Lianne Vance’s voice was icy, completely devoid of warmth. The words caught in Martin West’s throat; he didn’t know how to begin.
"I... I... Have you seen the news lately? That piece of gossip about Kenneth and... Reina... It was just a misunderstanding, really. But Kenneth seems to think it was Reina... so he..." Martin West stammered, utterly embarrassed.
"Is that so? I don’t think so. I trust my own son; he knows how to make the right judgment. So, did you call just to inform me of things I already know?" Lianne Vance’s merciless words made Martin’s heart sink.
"No, it really is a misunderstanding..."
"Fine, let’s say this time it was a misunderstanding. But what about the time Reina West hurt Summer Lancaster? I let that slide, but I never expected you people to pull something again. I will not interfere with Kenneth’s decisions anymore."
His attempt to win any sympathy from Lianne Vance had failed. Now, Martin West was truly out of options.
By evening, the West Group had been reduced to an empty shell. All of its experienced, high-level executives had jumped ship. The inside of the company was desolate and deserted.
Seizing the opportunity, the Yates Group acquired the West Group for a rock-bottom price, turning it into one of its subsidiaries. Of course, Martin West was kept on as manager, but he was now nothing more than an ordinary employee of the Yates Group.
As the workday was ending, Kenneth Yates called Dominic Thorne, saying he wanted to go see Summer Lancaster. However, Dominic refused, using the excuse that he had to be with his parents, so Kenneth had no choice but to go to the Bell Residence alone.
It wasn’t that he had to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Thorne; he simply didn’t want to go out. He just wanted to shut himself in his room and quietly recall everything that had happened between them. ’It wasn’t a dream, so how could he just forget?’
The brightly lit villa was a bit jarring to the eyes.
Kenneth Yates pushed the door open and walked right in. He saw only Caleb Bell sitting on the sofa, reading a book. Summer Lancaster was nowhere in sight. Caleb was quite surprised by Kenneth’s arrival. He guiltily set his book aside and feigned enthusiasm.
"Have a seat!"
"I’m here to see Summer Lancaster." Kenneth didn’t beat around the bush, getting straight to the point. Caleb Bell glanced uneasily toward the second floor. ’At this hour, Summer should still be asleep, so I don’t have to worry too much.’
"It won’t be over this quickly. She’s with my grandmother in her room right now, so it’s not a good time to disturb them. You should go." Caleb Bell refused his request. He had no intention of handing Summer back over to Kenneth Yates.
’If you love someone enough, you should make them your own.’
But Kenneth wasn’t giving up. He’d made some inquiries; this treatment wasn’t supposed to take very long. Several days had already passed, and he had endured them all without coming to look for Summer. Today, his goal was to see her, no matter what. He had to at least confirm for himself that she was okay.
"It shouldn’t be a problem if I just see her for a moment. I can even do it secretly." Kenneth sat down on the sofa, his powerful aura and purposeful gaze inspiring fear.
Caleb shot to his feet, shouting, "Didn’t I tell you? Don’t disturb her! Why won’t you keep your promise?"
Kenneth casually glanced up at him. Caleb’s reaction was a bit extreme, making one wonder if he was hiding something—something about Summer Lancaster, for example.
Kenneth stood up, meeting Caleb’s gaze, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "And what about you? Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing behind the scenes. Noel Lynch. You should be very familiar with that person, right?"
"I don’t know the person you’re talking about. Don’t try to pin some crime on me based on hearsay."
Instead of getting angry, Kenneth laughed. "Is that so? I thought you two would be good friends. After all, your methods are so similar." Kenneth’s dark hair covered one eye as he stared grimly at Caleb, a smirk playing on his lips.
The two men were locked in a silent psychological battle when Summer Lancaster, dressed in a snow-white shirt and holding a glass, appeared at the top of the stairs. The moment she saw Kenneth, a storm of emotions welled up inside her, and the glass slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor with a CRASH.
Kenneth and Caleb both looked up at the sound. Summer, in a panic, bent to pick up the shards of glass. She still didn’t know how to face Kenneth.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Kenneth rushed toward Summer, pulling her forcefully into his arms just as she was about to bend down.
Summer’s hands hovered in mid-air, uncertain whether to embrace him or push him away.
"Summer, you’ve recovered! This is wonderful. I’m never letting go of your hand again." Kenneth freed one of his hands and grasped hers tightly.
’They say that interlocking fingers connects two hearts, but Summer couldn’t even feel her own heartbeat. She felt like a scarecrow: heartless and unfeeling.’
"Summer, let’s go home." Kenneth let go of her, a look of childish glee on his face as he pulled her by the hand down the stairs. When they reached Caleb, however, Summer wrenched her hand free from Kenneth’s warm grasp.
She turned to face Caleb. "Caleb, thank you so much for everything during this time. I’ll definitely repay you properly when I have the chance." There was no hint of a joke in her sincere eyes; her earnestness actually made Caleb a bit embarrassed.
"What are you talking about? You’re my... good friend. Friends are supposed to help each other, aren’t they?"
Kenneth watched them from the side, feeling deeply displeased. ’Summer had used all her strength to break free just now, yanking her hand away in a single motion. Even if she had to thank Caleb, was there any need to shake off his hand?’
