Chapter 341: Give Me Some Time
Wendy Stewart took a long time to regain her composure after hanging up the phone.
The truth that unfolded today had too much of an impact on her. What she found most difficult to swallow was the fact that till now, Michael couldn’t tell her the truth.
After the phone call with Yonina, Wendy could essentially confirm that there was nothing going on between Michael and her. However, she couldn’t explain the time that she saw both of them lying on the same bed.
Wendy couldn’t be sure if Michael had indeed betrayed her. She knew very well that she would not get anything out of Michael even if she had approached him. It was also clear that Yonina was not going to let her in on anything.
Wendy tapped her fingers on the surface of her desk, producing a crisp, rhythmic clicking. The sounds echoed in the empty office before returning to Wendy’s ears.
She closed her eyes to go through her thoughts carefully and planned what to do next.
Time was ticking by.
There was a knock on the office door, "Corrine..."
It was Timothy Woods.
Timothy entered the office and saw Wendy on the sofa with her head lowered. "Let’s have lunch together," he suggested, smiling.
Wendy Stewart raised her head upon hearing his voice.
"You look pale. Are you feeling unwell?" Timothy asked with concern upon seeing Wendy’s blanched face.
"I’m fine," Wendy shook her head and forced a smile.
She tried her best to keep a false front as if nothing had happened.
"I was thinking about the Moonlight project," she smiled at Timothy.
"Ha ha, such dedication to your work on your very first day back?" Timothy seemed to be very satisfied with Wendy’s work attitude.
He walked up to Wendy and sat beside her, "No matter how committed you are, you still have to eat. You are now the pillar of HG Enterprise, don’t tire yourself out."
In the past, Wendy would have thought Timothy was showing concern for her. After all, he had treated her children and her very well over the years. But now, Wendy only found him hypocritical.
Concerned that she’d tire herself out? What he was most concerned about was probably the money she was making for HG Enterprise.
Despite her anger inside, Wendy Stewart managed to keep an indifferent facade.
"Come on, let’s go eat," Wendy turned her back and hurried outside quickly. She was afraid that Timothy would sense something amiss from her expression if she turned around any slower.
Wendy has always been cold and serious while at work. Hence, Timothy didn’t notice any abnormality. He was convinced that she was fretting over the details of the Moonlight project.
"Since this is your first day back at work, let me treat you to something nice," Timothy said as he followed behind Wendy.
"No need for that, let’s just eat in the company cafeteria," Wendy said without turning around, "Aren’t we going to discuss the details of the Moonlight project after lunch this afternoon?"
"That’s true, let’s save some time, then," Timothy said, "This way, you can get off work earlier in the evening as well."
Wendy left the conversation at that while they headed towards the cafeteria together.
Throughout the meal, Wendy was silent and did not initiate a conversation. Even when Timothy chatted with her occasionally, she kept her replies brief. Other times, they kept their heads low and ate without a word.
Seeing her like this, Timothy was more than satisfied. This was exactly how she behaved during the few years that she worked at HG Enterprise.
Prior to this, he was worried that her work efficiency would be affected upon her return because of what had happened between Michael and her.
It seems that he had worried for nothing.
"Eat more," Timothy said contentedly as he placed more food in Wendy’s bowl.
....
After getting lunch, Timothy Woods headed back to Wendy Stewart’s office with her.
They resumed their discussion over the Moonlight project from earlier on.
Wendy Stewart sat opposite Timothy Woods and glanced at him. She reached out for the cup of juice on the table and took a sip, asking him seemingly casually, "Mr. Woods, how’s the investigation regarding Christian Lucas going? Did you manage to find anything?"
Previously, she had asked him about Christian Lucas’ loss. At that time, Timothy said that he didn’t know Christian.
"Christian Lucas?" Timothy’s eyes clearly flickered when he heard this name. Wendy Stewart noticed this detail because she had been paying attention to his facial expressions.
Putting her cup down, she fixated her gaze on his expressions.
Wendy suddenly recalled that when she was working at MC Enterprise, she had tendered her resignation in the hope of returning to HG Enterprise but her resignation had never been approved.
Timothy vaguely said that the board did not agree to her resignation request.
Later, when she expressed that she wanted to stay at MC and did not wish to go back to HG anymore, he changed the message and told her that the board of directors wanted her to return to HG to head new projects.
Now that she thought about it, all of that seemed like Christian Lucas’ way of operating indeed.
Taking a deep breath, Wendy suppressed her internal emotions.
"Mr. Woods, you know of Christian Lucas, right? He came for Leah’s and Jake’s birthday party back then," Wendy said deliberately.
"He was the CEO of DR Group. Although DR is on the verge of bankruptcy now, he seems to be able to inject a steady stream of money into DR.
"I’ve always wondered where he got such big sums of money, including the amount that he used to deal with at Collins Group, that was no small sum.
"Before his return to Lake City, he stayed in Rheinsville City. If he has any forces backing him, I think it’d be from Rheinsville City too. Since you are also always in Rheinsville, I think it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to dig a little more on Christian Lucas, right?"
"Regarding this..." Timothy Woods frowned and continued, "I did check, but wasn’t able to find anything.
"The main issue is that I hardly crossed paths with Christian Lucas. I didn’t even know of his existence before this.
"If he really had forces backing him, someone must be helping him for him to be able to hide it for so many years.
"Even if I try to find out more, I wouldn’t know where to start."
Wendy nodded in agreement, "That’s true too."
"Why are you asking about him again?" Timothy did not raise his suspicion as Wendy acted natural.
After all, she had asked this question before. It did not seem strange that she raised it again.
"I’m not sure if you knew - his girlfriend, Zen Tanner, was my classmate from university," Wendy had long prepared an explanation for this, "She got pregnant, but Christian Lucas said that he didn’t want this child.
"Zen had no other alternative but to reach out to me, saying that only I can protect her and her child.
"I relented and allowed her to stay. Living with Zen and seeing her like this every day, I get reminded of Christian Lucas from time to time.
"Sometimes I wonder, how ruthless must someone be to reject even his own flesh and blood?"
"I see," Timothy sighed and said," No wonder I noticed an additional person at your place. She seems like a pitiful person."
"I know, right?" Wendy shook her head and continued, "That was why I asked you about Christian Lucas again.
"I wanted to see if he had any hidden powers in Rheinsville City. But since you can’t find out, it can only mean three possibilities."
"Which three?" Timothy Woods asked Wendy Stewart subconsciously.
"One is that Christian Lucas really doesn’t have any power, which is why you weren’t able to find any information on that.
"The second is that he has a lot of power, so much that even the Chairman of HG Enterprise can’t uncover it.
"The third is that his power does not lie within Rheinsville City," Wendy paid attention to Timothy’s expression as she spoke.
Although Timothy was a seasoned leader who wouldn’t let his true emotions show readily, Wendy was no fool either.
Wendy had captured the changes in his expressions, no matter how minute or fast they were.
She was almost certain that Timothy is working for Christian Lucas.
"Maybe not in Rheinsville City," Timothy said, "Didn’t you mention that he has a steady stream of money? Although I don’t have many connections with the DR Group, I do receive news about it from time to time.
DR Group is indeed facing bankruptcy. Since Christian Lucas has funds coming in, it shows that he should have powers hidden elsewhere."
"I thought so too," Wendy nodded, acting as if she agreed with Timothy’s statement.
Thereafter, Wendy smiled and said, "Let’s forget about him. Anyway, I have nothing to do with both Christian Lucas and Michael Lucas now.
"I just want to focus on the Moonlight project and think about how to bring the second launch of this series to reach greater heights."
"I’m very glad that you have such aspirations," Timothy nodded delightfully and said, "This morning, you mentioned that you wanted to reward the team. I have appointed someone to draft out a list of rewards for them. What about you, what would you like?"
"I don’t have anything special in mind," Wendy replied, although she knew exactly what she wanted.
As expected, Timothy refused her, saying, "That won’t work. You are a key contributor and have generated so much revenue for HG Enterprise. If you aren’t rewarded for your contributions, I would feel apologetic as both your mentor and the Chairman of HG."
"In that case..." Wendy seemed to ponder before continuing, "Maybe we can duplicate the reward model of most companies, then."
"The reward model of most companies?" Timothy frowned. He could guess what Wendy was asking for.
However, he wasn’t too sure. "What would you like?" he asked with a smile.
"Mr. Woods, haven’t you guessed it already?" Wendy gave a faint smile.
She reached her hand to tuck a few strands of loose hair behind her ear. "As you know, I don’t have much interest in money anymore. Considering the profits I am making for HG, I don’t think I am asking for too much," she said indifferently.
"Yes, it really isn’t much," Timothy lowered his head in embarrassment. "But you should know that our company’s management model is much stricter than that of other companies.
"To be frank, Todd had also made this request before. However, the board did not give the green light for it back then."
Wendy blinked slightly at the mention of Todd Lewis.
Todd was once an employee of HG Enterprise and was also Timothy’s apprentice.
She isn’t sure if Todd knew about Christian Lucas. If he does, then it’d make it much more difficult for her to accept and handle these matters.
Wendy shut her eyes for a brief moment.
Then, she smiled and looked at Timothy nonchalantly, "It’s fine then. I can do without the reward."
She did not dare to press on. That would appear too deliberate.
She is banking on the possibility that Timothy would take a step back on this matter.
After all, he knew how important she was to HG Enterprise.
"Mr. Woods, if there is nothing else, you can go attend to your work matters now," Wendy Stewart stood up from the sofa. It was difficult to decipher her emotions from her expression.
She smiled politely while gesturing at the door, "I’ll also call for a meeting with my team."
"This..." Timothy Woods acted like he was in a difficult position. "Corrine, you know it too. Although I am the Chairman of HG Enterprise, I still have to be accountable to the board of directors. I don’t call the shots," he sighed.
"I know, I wouldn’t force it," Wendy shook her head and said, "I should be grateful that you saved my life, and for the platform that HG has given me to prove my potential. It’s only natural for you to think that my request was too much."
"No, I didn’t think it was too much," Timothy explained, "The contribution you made to HG definitely warrants you a place on the board of directors. It’s just... just that..."
Prior to this, Wendy had never expressed that she wanted to join the board of directors. Hence, Timothy did not think about how to react to this request tactfully.
Naturally, he understood what she meant. What she wants is shares, and the opportunity to be one of the board of directors.
For a listed company like HG, neither the CEO nor the Chairman calls the shots. It is the board of directors that holds the power to approve major decisions and directions of the company.
One can only gain full control of the company when their personal shareholding is above 50%, like Michael Lucas with MC Enterprise.
Based on Wendy’s contributions to HG Enterprise, she should have been awarded shares and offered a place on the board of directors a long time ago.
However, it is a little complicated at HG, where Christian Lucas is the person-in-charge behind the scenes.
If Wendy joins the board of directors, she will be exposed to more of HG’s internal affairs. There is a high chance that she will discover the truth regarding Christian Lucas.
"I know what you mean, Mr. Woods, I don’t want to put you in a difficult position," Wendy lowered her head and put up a self-deprecating front. "I should be repaying HG for the opportunity anyway. I shouldn’t be greedy. I didn’t think before I spoke today."
"Corrine..." Timothy felt even more guilty towards Wendy Stewart after hearing her account.
Of course, apart from guilt, the bigger concern to Timothy was the interests of HG Enterprise.
If he denies Wendy of her request to hold shares and join the board, it is very likely that she would be unmotivated at work.
This is Wendy’s first request in the past six years. Moreover, it was a reasonable request.
If he did not agree to it, she would inevitably feel that it was unfair.
If she does not put her best into the Moonlight project, HG will be affected as well.
Now that Wendy is a significant pillar of HG, Timothy dared not belittle her influence.
He sighed and said, "Corrine, how about this - let me ask the other directors for their opinion. Can you give me some time, about a week or so?"
Wendy had anticipated Timothy’s answer. This so-called ’opinion of other directors’ probably just refers to Christian Lucas’ opinion.
Now that Christian’s DR Group is on the verge of bankruptcy, he needs to depend on the funds from HG to deal with Michael.
If Christian Lucas does not agree to her request and that causes Wendy to be dissatisfied at work, it may generate problems for HG, which disrupts Christian’s fundings from HG.
Wendy had made this request after much contemplation.
"Mr. Woods, don’t force it if it’s too much trouble," said Wendy deliberately while nodding.
"I will try my best to help you fight for it," Timothy sighed. "Go attend to your work. I will keep you updated," he said as he stood up.
Wendy nodded slightly to express her gratitude, "Thank you, then," she remained standing while watching Timothy leave the office.
