Chapter 402
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Cordelia could always see right through ine. So, she knew I still couldn’t stop myself from warrying that she was acting impulsively.
She hugged me and said, “Don’t worry, darling. If it doesn’t work out, I can always get a divorce. It’s not like marriage is a life sentence. If he treats me poorly, I’ll dump him in a heartbeat!”
I knew how unattached Cordelia could be when it came to relationships. Besides, should she decide to get a divorce, I’d be there to help her make it happen. With that in mind, I stopped worrying
Right now, Cordelia and I had a pretty relaxed view of her marriage If It worked, great. If it didn’t, she’d simply walk away.
However, things rarely played out as neatly as we thought.
William had convinced Noah’s grandfather to stop making things difficult for my companies. Still, this incident made me decide to expand the scope of my business.
I wanted to make it so that people wouldn’t be able to use them to threaten me again. I also wanted to give my employees more job security.
So, I decided to take part in a government bidding event. I wasn’t doing it for profit, but simply to give back to society.
Since the project I bid on was basically a money–losing venture, I won it easily. And with that, my companies became government–collaborated social enterprises.
Hardwell Group had also participated in the same bidding event, but for other projects.
In the past, whenever I saw Irvin and Grace attending events together, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling deeply upset.
But now, as I watched them walking toward me like a loving married couple, I no longer felt the same overwhelming sorrow I once did. I believed that soon, I could face Irvin without feeling the slightest ripple of emotion.
Irvin, who was gradually taking control of the Hardwell family , could now maintain his cold and aloof demeanor when he saw me. It was much unlike before, when he would lose control and get excited.
Maybe one day, he’d be just like me, where his emotions would no longer stir upon seeing me.
People matured, and after going through so many things, even the deepest love would gradually fade.
Upon spotting me, Grace immediately greeted me with a smile. “Hello, Ms. Quill.”
I smiled back at her. “Hello, Mrs. Hardwell.”
“Ms. Quill, the project you just won–there’s basically no profit to be made from it, is there?” Grace asked.
She seemed to be testing me.
I shrugged. “Just doing my civic duty.”
And without waiting for her to respond, I added, “Apologies, Mrs. Hardwell, but I have other matters to attend to.”
I hadn’t spared Irvin a single glance. Seeing this, his hands, which had been hanging at his sides, unconsciously clenched into
fists.
After the bidding event ended, the business association’s chairman hosted a networking dinner. Since Irvin and Grace were present, I had initially planned to skip it because I wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.
However, the chairman personally asked me to attend, and I couldn’t refuse. So, I stayed.
I had planned to leave after a short while. But unexpectedly, the chairman’s wife kept holding onto me and wouldn’t let me go.
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Not long ago, I had helped treat her younger brother’s legs. She had been extremely grateful ever since and acted very friendly toward me. She genuinely wanted me to be happy, so she kept inducing me to various potential partners.
The dinner was full of eligible bachelors , and the chairman’s wife thought it was the perfect opportunity to play matchmaker. She kept pulling me everywhere to converse with men she felt were a good match.
At networking dinners like these, drinking was unavoidable. So, I ended up having a few glasses.
Back when I used to accompany Irvin while he was building his bigness, I drank quite a bit. So, I could normally hold my liquor.
Tonight, I only had a few glasses of champagne. Yet, for some reason, I was already feeling unusually dizzy.
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