Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 216

Christopher seemed to have finished replying to his messages. Maybe it was because I was staring at him a bit too intensely.

He noticed right away.

He looked up at me with those deep eyes. "Why are you staring at me? Got something on your mind?"

I was startled and quickly waved my hands. "No way, Mr. Collins. It's a misunderstanding. I wouldn't dare have any ideas."

"What if I said you could?" Christopher's lips curled slightly, but the smile quickly vanished.

It seemed like the smile never reached his eyes.

I was afraid he was testing me, so I quickly replied, "Mr. Collins, you must be joking. Rest assured, I'll only be your secretary, and maybe even a valuable asset in the future. I won't be one of those people trying to cozy up to you."

For some reason, after I said that, I could clearly feel the atmosphere around Christopher get colder. He seemed quite displeased.

I carefully thought over what I had just said. I had been sincere enough, so why hadn't I dispelled his doubts and displeasure?

Just as I was pondering what else I could say to make Christopher less angry, the car stopped at the entrance of the Summit Grand Hotel.

The driver quickly opened the car door, and Christopher got out with a cold expression.

Of course, even though he was unhappy, he didn't forget the important things when he got out of the car.

He handed me the file folder containing the financial statements and receipts. "Keep this with you."

I had looked at the financial statements. Just the expenses for drinking alone were either around five thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars each time, and the hotel expenses were also very high.

These were the parts I could understand. There were other figures that I wasn't professional enough to fully grasp, but even the parts I could understand showed how dirty Douglas's hands were. Not to mention the valuable antiques in Douglas's office, which were clearly beyond what someone in his position at AutoForge Workshop could afford.

Christopher probably thought the reports were important, so he wanted me to keep them with me.

I carried the file folder and followed Christopher.

Originally, because Christopher was about six feet tall, I had to jog to keep up with his long strides.

However, despite his anger, Christopher was actually a warm-hearted person. I noticed that he seemed to realize I was jogging to keep up, so he slowed down his pace.

He must have arranged everything over the phone earlier, because as soon as we got out of the car, someone led us straight to a private room on the second floor.

The waiter opened the door to the private room.

Inside, it was very lively. The person at the head of the table was smiling broadly, accepting the compliments and flattery from the others at the table, and he seemed to enjoy it, speaking with a tone of pride.

When the waiter opened the door, someone else noticed first and scolded, "Didn't we say everything was served? We told you not to disturb us. No manners at all. If you interrupt us again, we'll tell your boss and get you fired."

The man who was trying to please the person at the head of the table changed his expression very quickly. In my opinion, people like him were destined not to go far because they didn't know how to behave properly, not even on the surface.

"Is that so?" At that moment, Christopher, who had followed the waiter in, spoke in a cold voice.

He had a natural presence. As soon as he spoke, everyone couldn't help but feel tense and look at him with a sense of fear.

The people at the table fell silent when Christopher made his sudden appearance.

There were both old and young, men and women, but their eyes couldn't hide their greed.

Everyone paused for a moment because of Christopher's strong presence, but some arrogant folks couldn't stand his sudden intrusion and powerful aura.

Clearly, they were short-sighted and thought Christopher was just putting on a show. One of them couldn't help but curse at him, "Who the hell are you? We don't know you. Why are you here? Did you come to the wrong place, or are you just showing off? And in front of a beautiful woman, no less. Beauty, this guy is just good-looking, trying to bring you to a fancy hotel but too cheap to spend money. Don't be fooled by him. You'd be better off with me."

Then he pointed proudly at the man at the head of the table. "Do you know who he is? He's the head of AutoForge Workshop, a subsidiary of Summit Innovations Group. You..."

"Shut up!" The man at the head of the table, who had been enjoying the praise and flattery, suddenly seemed to recognize Christopher.

He stood up abruptly, first scolding the man who had been talking nonsense, then quickly approached Christopher and me with a warm smile.

"Mr. Collins, what brings you here? Why didn't you let us know you were coming? And Ms. Turner, I apologize. My cousin has no filter. He's been like this since he was a kid, always joking around."

The man speaking in a flattering tone was none other than Douglas, whom we were supposed to meet at the office today.

Now I understood why Christopher had said what he did.

Douglas not only skipped work, failing to fulfill his duties, but he was also using company funds to entertain his relatives.

From the looks of the people in the room, it was clear they weren't business partners or senior engineers. And Douglas had just called the man who had spoken rudely his cousin, so they were definitely relatives.

Christopher's expression was indifferent, his voice calm but commanding. "Mr. Campbell, if I remember correctly, today is a workday. Instead of being at the office, you're here entertaining your relatives!"

His tone was so cold and even that it created an invisible pressure.

Douglas's face changed.

The relatives, having seen Douglas's attitude, were now quietly observing Christopher and me. When Christopher spoke, they became inexplicably nervous.

One fool seemed to want to speak up for Douglas. "Who do you think you are? Don't think you're so great just because you have money. Do you know what position Douglas holds? He..."

"Shut up! All of you, leave. I need to speak with Mr. Collins." Douglas's face darkened, and he glared at the elderly woman who had spoken. Her face stiffened, but she said nothing more.

The other relatives followed suit and left the private room one by one.

The dishes had just been served, and the tableware was still clean, untouched. No wonder the relatives glanced longingly at the food as they left, looking reluctant.

Now, only Douglas, Christopher, and I remained in the room.

Douglas smiled apologetically at Christopher. "Mr. Collins, I'm sorry. I thought it wouldn't take much time, so I didn't ask for leave. After all, I've been working hard for so long. It's just this once. Mr. Collins, you wouldn't really blame me for not going to the office this morning, would you?"

It seemed Eric had already called him. He knew what was going on, yet he hadn't called Christopher to apologize or explain. Now, seeing Christopher in person, he still acted as if he had nothing to fear.