<div> Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Refusal
 After Nina Thorne left, Simon Foster looked away. "Since there are no other issues, go ahead and sign the supplementary agreement."
 He tapped the table twice.
 Jay Jacobs distributed the prepared agreements, one for each person.
 Having said what she wanted to say, Nina Thorne didn’t want to play games with those people.
 She felt disgusted.
 The backstabbing and trickery of the business world—she hadn’t experienced it firsthand, but she’d seen plenty of it in TV dramas.
 She had even written plenty of it herself as a part-time screenwriter.
 Nina Thorne walked down the hallway to the restroom at the end.
 Her nerves had been stretched taut for the past two days; she came here to wash her hands and catch her breath.
 As she was returning to the hallway, a broad, well-built figure emerged from another private room.
 He looked up, saw her, and a sharp brow arched as he strode in her direction.
 ’Him again.’
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 </div> Nina Thorne tried to pretend she hadn’t seen him, keeping her eyes fixed forward. Just as they were about to pass each other, a mocking laugh reached her ears.
 "Miss Thorne, how heartless. We’re face to face, and you’re still pretending you don’t know me."
 Jason Graham stopped and glanced at her with great interest.
 His words successfully made Nina Thorne halt her steps. She slowly raised her eyes to look at him.
 "We’re not close."
 Her reply was crisp. She really didn’t want any unnecessary involvement with him.
 Jason Graham slid one hand into his pocket, a half-smile on his face. "What’s the difference between this and a one-night stand you refuse to acknowledge the morning after?"
 Nina Thorne’s brows furrowed.
 ’Is he crazy?’
 ’Perfect.’
 Someone was passing by.
 They had clearly heard what Jason Graham said and were smirking.
 Nina Thorne couldn’t take it anymore. "Is there something wrong with you?"
 "There is."
 Jason Graham faced her directly. "The clothes you haven’t paid for, and the car... are you trying to welsh on the debt?"
 He had a wicked aura about him, and his tall frame exuded an inexplicable sense of pressure.
 No wonder people in the business world said he and Justin Kane were The Reapers.
 One cold-blooded, the other ruthless.
 But Nina Thorne wasn’t afraid of him. She scoffed, "President Graham, your methods for hitting on women are a little old-fashioned."
 She stepped back to put some distance between them, her expression cold.
 "First of all, I already transferred the money for the clothes. You’re the one who hasn’t accepted it."
 "Secondly, stop trying to scam me. The insurance company will handle it."
 Nina Thorne’s smile vanished, and she walked away with a cold expression.
 Jason Graham watched her retreating figure, the corners of his lips curling into a playful smirk. He let out a breath.
 ’This is how she’s supposed to be.’
 ’Bold, uninhibited...’
 ’And fiery.’
 Nina Thorne didn’t return to the private room. She walked straight out of the restaurant and called Jay Jacobs, telling him to come out.
 A moment later, Jay Jacobs and Simon Foster walked out of the restaurant together and quickly joined her.
 "Leaving so early? It seems you really don’t want to deal with them," Simon Foster concluded.
 Nina Thorne lowered her eyes and said flatly, "We were just here to sign a contract, not to have a dinner party."
 With that, she slipped into the car.
 Seeing her cold attitude, Simon Foster’s smile deepened.
 Jay Jacobs hesitated for a second before getting in as well, just in time to hear the order, "Back to the company."
 Suddenly, the right-side car door opened.
 Simon Foster got in.
 The car was instantly filled with the faint scent of his cologne.
 Nina Thorne frowned. "You don’t have a car?"
 "It broke down."
 Simon Foster feigned confusion. "What, isn’t the young miss heading back to the office? If not, I’ll get out."
 Nina Thorne averted her gaze. "Drive."
 Jay Jacobs felt like the two of them were a bit...
 ...stiff with each other.
 But that wasn’t his business to meddle in. He immediately started the car and headed back to the company.
 Along the way, Simon Foster summarized the day’s events. "The problems we were facing before have basically been resolved."
 "The auto plant has promised to cooperate with vehicle deliveries in the next couple of days, and as for that group just now, they’ve all signed the supplementary agreements."
 Nina Thorne listened intently, then asked, "What about the parts manufacturer and the real estate funding shortage?"
 Solving the immediate problems wasn’t enough.
 Leighton Thorne was watching her like a hawk, ready to make trouble over a major international order the Thorne Group had just secured.
 There were also problems with the real estate funds.
 No funds were flowing to the construction site, so workers couldn’t be paid, which led to strikes.
 In addition, necessary materials and so on couldn’t be delivered to the site.
 Both of these issues were causing construction delays.
 If she couldn’t solve these two major problems, she wouldn’t be able to secure her position as chairwoman.
 A week from now, she would have to watch as Leighton Thorne conspired with the board members to kick her off the board of directors.
 Therefore, she had to resolve all these issues within the week.
 "As for the parts supplier, I’ve already arranged for someone to contact them. We should have a result in the next day or two."
 "As for the construction site, the funding shortage is due to malicious embezzlement of public funds. It’s not difficult to deal with..."
 Simon Foster glanced at her. "...I just don’t know if you’ll have the guts to go after the ’royal relatives’."
 Nina Thorne understood.
 "Who’s in charge of the construction site project?"
 "Kevin Thorne, your third cousin."
 "..."
 Back when the Thorne family business was divided, they parted ways with the second branch.
 But her grandfather, being a sentimental man, always took extra care of the third branch.
 This third cousin was from that third branch and had been placed in the company as a department manager.
 "Go investigate. Whatever he swallowed, make him spit it back out."
 Nina Thorne’s attitude was merciless.
 Just as she finished speaking, the car arrived at the company building.
 Simon Foster got out first and held a hand over her head to shield her.
 The two of them entered the building together.
 A handsome man and a beautiful woman.
 Simon Foster had an elegant demeanor, yet possessed the sharp edge of someone seasoned in the business world. Nina Thorne was a newcomer, yet she was bright and noble.
 The moment they appeared, they drew gasps of admiration from the people in the lobby.
 "Miss Thorne is so beautiful."
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 </div> "Look, she and Mr. Foster make such a good pair."
 Nina Thorne paid them no mind, entering the elevator one after the other.
 Seeing her standing ramrod straight with a gentle but distant air, Simon Foster pursed his lips. "Don’t worry, I’ll help you find your footing."
 Nina Thorne turned to look at him, her expression mild. "Thank you."
𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 Simon Foster’s floor arrived first, and he got out.
 Nina Thorne returned to her office and went back to reading documents.
 Not until Jay Jacobs knocked and came in, placing a file in front of her.
 "Miss, I found it. This is all the information on Apex."
 "However, this company, Apex, has changed hands several times and now has a new name and legal representative."
 Nina Thorne opened it and saw that it was just as he’d said.
 The legal representative column read: Celine Chase.
 But this information only covered its business operations and transformations from recent years.
 "Keep digging. I want more detailed information on their company."
 Nina Thorne looked up at him. "Especially information from five years ago, from around the time they partnered with the Thorne Group."
 Jay Jacobs nodded. "Understood."
 "I need to attend the new energy seminar the day after tomorrow. Cancel all my other appointments for that day."
 "You’re going by yourself?"
 Jay Jacobs looked at her, astonished.
 She asked, "Is there a problem?"
 "You’re not bringing Engineer Stowe from our group?"
 Right now, Engineer Stowe was the group’s most brilliant engineer.
 With him there, Jay Jacobs felt they would have a solid footing.
 Nina Thorne lowered her eyelids, pondering for a few seconds. "He’s well-known in the industry, so he’ll receive an invitation. We can just go together then."
 Jay Jacobs understood, nodded, and left.
 Just then, Nina Thorne’s phone rang. She frowned slightly when she saw the caller ID.
 It was Seth Lawson, asking to meet her at the coffee shop downstairs from her office.
 She didn’t refuse and went down to meet him shortly after.
 Seth Lawson was sitting by the window.
 He was dressed in stylish casual wear, looking sharp, and wore a decorative black ring on his hand.
 Nina Thorne sat down across from him and probed with a smile, "Seth, you didn’t ask me here just for a cup of coffee, did you?"
 Seth Lawson smiled, a corner of his lip twitching upwards, as he placed a file in front of her. "This is information on your ’second brother,’ Leighton Thorne."
 Nina Thorne showed her surprise. After reading it, she couldn’t help but be curious. "How do you know all this?"
 Seth Lawson gave a mysterious smile. "You don’t need to teach someone who’s determined. And you can’t teach someone who isn’t."
 "When it comes to Nina Thorne’s affairs, of course I’d pay close attention."
 Nina Thorne smiled, her eyes slightly downcast.
 She looked silent and unreadable, but it was as if she had already seen right through him.
 Seth Lawson felt inexplicably guilty.
 "Alright, fine. A certain someone specifically asked me to give this to you."
 Nina Thorne smiled knowingly. She knew exactly who this "certain someone" was.
 So she pushed the file back. "Please give it back for me. I can handle these things myself. I don’t need him worrying about me."
 Nina Thorne’s expression was mild, but her resolve was firm.
 Seth Lawson was shocked. "This information concerns the future of the Thorne Group! You should take it. This is what he owes you."
 ’Between them, there was never a matter of who owed whom.’
 ’When they got married, she did it out of spite, and he did it for the sake of getting married.’
 ’Now that things had come to this, it seemed no one was really to blame.’
 Nina Thorne gave a faint smile. "Let’s leave it at that."
 Seeing her attitude, Seth Lawson knew that no matter what he said, she wouldn’t accept the file.
 "Fine, I’ll take it back then. Anyway, that kid deserves what’s coming to him."
 After saying that, he raised an eyebrow. "Now that you’re back to inherit the family business, you’re not going to stop writing scripts for me, are you?"
 "For the time being, yes."
 Seth Lawson nodded helplessly. "I get it. The Thorne Group needs you right now. Whenever you’re interested again, come back and write. You’re always welcome here."
 "Thank you, Seth."
 Nina Thorne smiled, relieved, then changed the subject. "There is something I might need your help with."
 Seth Lawson raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Jessica Jenkins?"
 ’Of course.’
 ’Talking to a smart person is so easy.’
 She nodded curtly. "That’s right."
 Seth Lawson patted his chest. "Leave it to me. Even if you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t let her off easy."
 Jessica Jenkins conspiring with Cole Kane and the others was just asking for trouble.
 "Thank you." Nina Thorne was immensely grateful.
 Looking at her calm and composed appearance, Seth Lawson was filled with mixed emotions.
 ’Her situation is difficult right now.’
 ’Overnight, she’s become so much more mature and steady.’
 After meeting with Seth Lawson, it was still early, so Nina Thorne went directly to the hospital to see her grandfather.
 Mr. Dawson was keeping watch in the hospital room. When he saw Nina Thorne arrive, he stood up to greet her.
 "Miss, you’re here."
 Nina Thorne casually placed her bag on the sofa and glanced at the person in the hospital bed. "Grandpa still hasn’t woken up?"
 Mr. Dawson lowered his head and shook it. "No, he hasn’t."
 Nina Thorne said to Mr. Dawson, "You’ve been working hard. Go get some rest."
 Mr. Dawson nodded.
 Knowing she wanted to speak with Master Thorne alone, he obligingly left the room.
 Nina Thorne sat by the hospital bed and took his hand. "Grandpa, are you trying to slack off? There are so many things at the company waiting for you to handle. Please wake up, okay?"
 But the only response was the beeping of the monitor.
 Master Thorne’s eyes remained tightly shut, showing no sign of waking.
 Nina Thorne watched him quietly, her heart heavy, aching with a dull pain.
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 </div> These past few days, since taking over the company, she finally understood how much pressure her grandfather had been under all these years.
 Ever since her father passed away, predators had been eyeing the Thorne Group.
 But to let her live a free and easy life, her grandfather never told her about this pressure.
 If the Thorne Group hadn’t run into trouble this time, she would never have known that the company was full of so many wolves and tigers.
 "Grandpa, I know you wanted to push me to be better, and now I’ve taken over the Group."
 "Even if you want to push me, can’t you wake up and see how I’m doing? Please?"
 "Grandpa, don’t sleep anymore. I really miss you, so, so much..."
 Nina Thorne’s nose tingled, and her eyes grew hot.
 Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Assuming it was Mr. Dawson, she didn’t turn around.
 Not until the footsteps drew near.
 Nina Thorne instantly caught a familiar scent. The air filled with the smell of cedarwood—a cool, clean fragrance that was both familiar and intimate, invading her senses.
 And it slammed violently into her heart.</div>
 

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Chapter 155: Refusal

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Refusal After Nina Thorne left, Simon Foster looked away. "Since there are no other issues, go ahead and sign the supplementary agreement." He tapped the table twice. Jay Jacobs distributed the prepared agreements, one for each person. Having said what she wanted to say, Nina Thorne didn’t want to play games with those people. She felt disgusted. The backstabbing and trickery of the business world—she hadn’t experienced it firsthand, but she’d seen plenty of it in TV...

Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother

Chapter 155: Refusal

Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother - Chapter 155: Refusal