C78 Destructive Strike

The two shared an unspoken understanding moments ago.

Christine followed his lead.

Then, with the swiftness of a thunderclap, Westley took Jason down, rescuing Christine from peril.

For a girl Christine's age, Westley was the very image of a fairy tale knight in shining armor!

"You caught on," he said.

Westley confidently smoothed back his less-than-dashing hair.

Christine's eyes darted around before she made a surprising move.

She dashed to Westley's side and, without waiting for his consent, planted a kiss on his cheek.

A bright lipstick mark adorned Westley's face, impossible to miss.

Before Westley could even react, Christine, her face flushed red, fled the scene like a mischievous sprite.

Elder Lambert's eyes bulged at the sight.

He was awash with a tumult of emotions.

It felt as if the cabbage he had tenderly nurtured had been uprooted by an unruly pig.

"Elder Lambert, aren't you going to intervene? Your granddaughter is playing the rogue with me," Westley lodged a "serious protest."

Yet, his demeanor betrayed no sense of grievance; on the contrary, he seemed to relish the moment.

Her kiss was sweet.

"Mr. Jimenez, I sincerely apologize. Please excuse my lack of discipline," Elder Lambert said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"Let it go. It's not your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's me for being too handsome. Anyway, I must be off. We'll be in touch," Westley said, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand as he headed for the door.

Elder Lambert paused in thought, then called out with a sudden idea, "Mr. Jimenez, perhaps you should give it some serious thought. My granddaughter is of suitable age. You two could start by getting to know each other. The Lambert family asks for no dowry—only that your children carry on the Lambert name."

Westley nearly stumbled in shock.

With a guilty conscience, he made a hasty retreat.

Watching Westley's awkward escape, Elder Lambert stroked his imaginary beard, smugly satisfied.

He mused to himself, "My granddaughter sure is formidable. If she can win him over, the Lambert family's prestige is sure to soar. No, I must strategize with her on our next move."

After stepping out of Revival Hall, Westley first stashed the herbs in his rented place on Five-dragon Street.

The spot was secluded, making it perfect for hiding things.

By the time he finished, it was well past two in the afternoon.

Checking his phone, Westley saw several missed calls, all from Sienna.

He promptly returned her call.

As soon as she picked up, Sienna asked, "Hey, Westley, why didn't you show up for work today?"

"I ran into some urgent business, so I couldn't make it to the office," Westley explained.

"How urgent? Is everything okay?" Sienna's voice betrayed her concern.

"It's nothing serious! Could you do me a favor and request a leave from Mr. Wood? I should be back in two or three days," Westley said before ending the call.

Sienna, hearing the dial tone, felt a pang of disappointment.

She had made an effort with her appearance today, clearly hoping to catch Westley's eye.

But he hadn't shown up.

Just then, Stoddard approached Sienna with an icy look and inquired, "Where's Westley?"

Sienna rose to her feet and replied, "Mr. Wood, Westley just called. He's dealing with an important matter and asked for some time off."

"What does he think this company is?" Stoddard bellowed.

The Sales Department fell into a hush, with no one daring to utter a word.

They were clueless as to why the boss was fuming, especially since Westley had just closed a significant deal the day before.

"When he returns, tell him to come see me in my office. This is utterly unacceptable!"

With that, Stoddard retreated to his office, propped his legs on the desk, and slumped into his chair.

"How can I get him to leave the company?" he mused, stroking his chin in frustration.

In the midst of his scheming, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.

"Hello, who's this?"

"Good day, I'm Seve, the general manager of Sourcehood Cloth Factory."

Recognizing the name, Stoddard dropped his feet to the floor and greeted him warmly, "Ah, Director Morris! What can I do for you?"

The Sourcehood Cloth Factory was a key partner of the Olivia Group. The company sourced most of its materials from this very factory.

Owned by the Freeman Group, the Sourcehood Cloth Factory was the largest textile enterprise in the city.

Stoddard took his relationship with this major partner very seriously.

"Manager Stoddard, I'm afraid our collaboration with the Olivia Group has come to an end," the voice on the phone announced.

"What did you say?" Stoddard thought he had misheard.

"Per our senior management's directive, our partnership with you is terminated as of today. We will provide compensation for any breach of contract. That's all, I'm hanging up."

Shock washed over Stoddard's face as a cold sweat broke out across his back.

He leapt to his feet, burst through the door, and sprinted down the hallway.

Upon reaching the CEO's office, he ran into Yetta Liang.

"Manager Stoddard, what's got you so panicked?" Yetta inquired, her brow furrowed.

"Secretary Liang, where's Director Rogers? I have an urgent issue that needs her attention," Stoddard blurted out, anxiety lacing his voice.

"Director Rogers is in the middle of a video conference with our European partners. She's just finalized an order contract and will likely be tied up for a while," Yetta replied nonchalantly.

"This is a major crisis, it's extremely urgent! I need to speak with Director Rogers right now," Stoddard exclaimed.

"What exactly is the issue? You can brief me first," Yetta said, her arms crossed, her tone commanding.

"I..."

Just then, the CEO's office door swung open.

Olivia Rogers emerged, cradling a coffee cup in her hand.

She had just secured a significant deal with a European firm that promised to yield tens of millions in net profit for the company.

"Manager Stoddard, did you need something?" Olivia asked, her demeanor calm.

Known for her icy demeanor, Olivia seldom showed a hint of a smile.

But Stoddard was too distraught to notice, stammering, "Director Rogers. The Sourcehood Cloth Factory just called to say they're terminating our partnership!"

"What?" Olivia was taken aback.

The coffee cup slipped from her grasp, crashing to the floor and shattering.

The Sourcehood Cloth Factory was their most relied-upon source of raw materials.

Should the partnership cease, it would be nothing short of a catastrophic blow to the Olivia Group!