Chapter 268
At the VIP section of the conference hall, Noah exclaimed, “Look her, Uncle Will, Isn’t she incredible? She’s absolutely dazzling ! ”
His eyes were practically sparkling as he watched me shine on stage.
Mr. Ashford sat beside him. Instead of responding, he leaned back lazily in his chair. His gaze was fixed on me as I presented on
stage.
Noah spoke again.
“I didn’t go looking for Emilia because I’m chasing some dream, Uncle Will. I don’t want to be with her short–term–I want to stay with her forever. I know what Grandfather expects of me, and promise I will do everything to meet his expectations.
“So, please don’t stand between me and Emilia. Please don’t stop us from being together. I can become the greatest man in the world with her by my side. But without her, I’m nothing–I’m worse than trash.”
Picking up on the underlying threat behind Noah’s words, Mr. Ashford laughed mockingly.
Then, he retorted, “Forever, you say? But tell me, kid, does she want the same thing as you?”
His words stumped Noah.
Meanwhile, at Hardwell Manor, Timothy watched from the television as I confidently presented our research. His head began throbbing dully as he stared at me through the screen.
He didn’t understand why he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he knew me when he shouldn’t. Yet , from the moment he first saw me,
he felt something stronger than familiarity. It was as though he didn’t just know me, but he did so intimately. He had even felt a strong urge to hug me.
He was Timothy Hardwell. He had studied abroad from high school until college. Then, he had spent years working at one of the overseas branches of his family’s company after graduating.
He only returned to the country at the start of this year to prepare to manage the company’s main branch and for his role as the heir of the family.
Timothy had never crossed paths with me. Besides, he had a wife and soon , a child in just a few months. Yet, despite everything, he felt utterly disconnected from the Hardwell family. His wife felt like a stranger, and he had a feeling this life wasn’t actually
his.
However, he felt a strong sense of familiarity when it came to me a person he should have no connection with.
Timothy’s headache worsened the more he thought about it.
Just then, Mrs. Hardwell knocked on the door and entered the room.
“Why don’t you take a break and have some fruits, Tim? Your body is still recovering, so you shouldn’t overwork yourself,” she
said.
Then , she placed a plate of fruit on the table. As she did so, she glanced at the television. She froze briefly when she saw what Timothy was watching but quickly recovered.
Noticing he was rubbing his temples and seemed to be in immense pain, Mrs. Hardwell moved over to him.
Then , she reached forward and offered, “Is your head hurting again ? Here, let me massage it for you.”
However, before she could touch him, Timothy moved his head away and dodged her hands.
“I still have work to do. Please leave if there’s nothing else,” he ordered.
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Mrs. Hardwell’s eyes began welling up with tears at his rejection. However , she held them back and refused to let them fall .
Guilt washed over Timothy. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “You know I don’t remember you because I have amnesia from a head injury. Please, just wait for me to recover memories, okay?”
my
“I” Mrs. Hardwell started to say, but she suddenly swayed and fainted toward him.
A fall for a pregnant woman could be disastrous. Thus, Timothy reflexively reached out and caught her. Then, he urgently called for help.
In the rush of the moment, he no longer had the time to dwell on me or question why I stirred up such intense emotions in him.
Back at the summit, I had just finished smoothly presenting our research findings. Now, it was time to share video testimonials of the success patients from our human trials.
Their photos were supposed to flash up on the big screen first. Instead, intimate–looking photos of Mr. Holland and I appeared.
The angles from which these photos were taken had been carefully manipulated. Whoever had taken these wanted to make it look as though we had a far more scandalous relationship than just that of a mentor and mentee.
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