Chapter 437
The Brown Group.
Michael returned to his office, his face pale, but his suit concealed the bandages underneath, hiding any signs of injury. He wouldn't let anyone see his weakness. A man in a precarious situation, if seen injured, would only embolden his enemies.
"Mr. Brown, are you back?" Ruby, his assistant, knocked on the door cautiously.
"Yeah, come in."
Michael straightened up, showing no signs of discomfort.
"Mr. Brown, the meeting's set. You can head to the conference room in half an hour."
"Got it. Did you make copies of the documents I asked for?"
Ruby nodded, placing the documents on his desk. "They're all here. I didn't hand them out since you weren't back yet."
Michael took the documents and flipped through them, casually asking, "Did you read through these?"
Ruby hesitated, glancing at Michael's expression. Seeing he wasn't angry, she nodded. "I saw some of it."
Michael had been waiting for this. He looked up, his gaze piercing. "Really?"
"Tell me your thoughts. If you show improvement, I might consider you for a special assistant position. How about that?"
Michael's tone was serious, and anyone unfamiliar with him might have believed him.
Ruby's eyes lit up with excitement. She clearly believed him.
"Mr. Brown, please don't be upset, but I think the terms in these documents are outrageous. Even if the client has the upper hand, their demands are excessive. If it were up to me, this project wouldn't have passed the first review."
She stopped herself from saying more, knowing her place as a mere assistant.
But it was enough for Michael to gauge her thoughts.
He narrowed his eyes, feeling something was off.
The documents were deliberately altered versions of those sent by Auroria, with only the names changed. The content was identical.
He had suspected that if Ruby were a mole planted by the Adri Family, she would have sided with them or at least remained neutral.
But she had considered the company's perspective.
Was she that good an actress, or was his judgment off?
Unable to determine her allegiance, he dismissed her and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
The painkillers had worn off, and he was in severe pain. If not for the chair, he might not have been able to stand.
Seeing he had some time, Michael grabbed his coat and slowly walked to the lounge to rest.
After leaving the office, Ruby slipped into a stairwell corner, out of the camera's view. She pulled out a second phone with only one number saved.
She didn't call but sent a text.
[Michael is suspicious of me. He just tested me with a project proposal from Auroria. I can't stay here any longer!]
The reply came quickly.
[Not now. Leaving will only alert him. Stay put and wait for my orders.]
Ruby clenched the phone, frustrated. She had risked so much for him, and now he wanted her to stay despite the danger? How could he be so heartless?
She pressed on.
[If I don't leave now and he finds out what I've done for you, we could both be exposed!]
He might not care about her safety, but Ruby couldn't be sure he wouldn't let her get hurt. Unbeknownst to her, he had never really cared about this.
[Exposure is not a concern. The entire Brown Group will be mine soon. Just keep an eye on Michael. Report any unusual activity.]
Ruby was about to close the phone but remembered Michael's pale face. She sent another message.
[Michael does seem off. He looked very pale, like he was injured.]
The response was immediate.
[Find out if he's really hurt and inform me immediately.]
[Don't worry, your efforts won't go unrewarded. You'll get what you want once this is over.]
At a lakeside villa, Nolan sat on the balcony, closing his phone with a faint smile. Fate seemed to be on his side. Michael was injured at such a crucial time. Did this mean Nolan would soon have everything he desired?
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in," Nolan said, his voice low.
Two bodyguards in black suits entered, heads bowed.
"Mr. Nolan Brown, urgent news. Ms. Taylor was injured today."
Nolan assumed they meant Bianca and dismissed it. "Noted. Don't report anything about Bianca to me anymore."
He didn't care to hear about her.
The bodyguards exchanged glances, one explaining, "No, we meant Ms. Isabella Taylor, the one you've been monitoring closely."
"What did you say?"
Nolan's expression darkened as he stood up quickly. "Isabella is hurt? What happened? Where is she?"
"Ms. Isabella Taylor was injured at Graceful Haven Church. The details are unclear, but she was helped into a car by a man, with visible injuries."
"The Wilson Family is guarding the hospital tightly, so we couldn't get more information."
Nolan focused on the key point, his brow furrowing.
"You said Isabella was with a man?"
He had been busy plotting to take over the Brown Group, keeping Michael preoccupied. Michael wouldn't have had time to see Isabella. How had she found someone new so quickly?
"Who was it? Was it Michael?"
As long as it wasn't Michael, Nolan was confident he could win Isabella back.
The bodyguards shook their heads. Michael and Nolan were brothers and looked quite similar. They wouldn't mistake one for the other.
"No, the man looked unfamiliar, but I heard Ms. Isabella Taylor call him Emilio."