The Tycoon's Gutsy Wife

Chapter 18: Family Feud

"They’re just accusations that will be solved in court soon. If this is all you have to offer then I suggest you leave," he said.

Mr. Hawthorne dismissed her so quickly she thought she was hearing things.

This couldn’t be it. Adeline glanced at Darien who was still reading the file she gave him. If he heard what his uncle just said, he didn’t show it.

"Did you not hear what I just said?!" Mr. Hawthorne yelled at her, making her flinch.

"You should stop yelling uncle, or your blood pressure is going to skyrocket again. Is that what you want?" Darien finally spoke, without taking his eyes off the file.

Mr. Hawthorne scowled at him, his eyes narrowing.

"You acting concerned is new in my vocabulary," Mr. Hawthorne retorted.

Darien finally lifted his gaze from the file to make eye contact with his uncle, his green eyes darkening.

"I think you should leave," Darien said.

Adeline couldn’t believe her ears once again.

She didn’t even explain the resources used to make the material and they were already dismissing her so soon.

She sighed. If there was one thing her grandfather had taught her over the past two weeks, it was to never beg.

She knew convincing them would be difficult, but she didn’t think they would need convincing this soon.

She resisted the urge to snort, packed her bag, and was ready to leave with her assistant when Darien stopped her.

"Where are you going?" He questioned her, his left eyebrow cocked up so perfectly well with confusion marred on his face.

She glanced between him and his uncle, stuttering before she composed herself.

"I thought...you said I should leave," she responded.

More confusion only painted Darien’s face. He leaned into his seat, tearing his gaze from her to look at his uncle.

"I was speaking to my uncle," he said, and the older man snapped his neck so fast from her to look at his nephew, Adeline almost pitied his old bones. "Leave."

Mr. Hawthorne scoffed, the insult pricking at his skin like salt had been rubbed into his wounds.

"You’re really going to dismiss me and listen to the nonsense this woman is going to say?" He questioned but Darien did not reply immediately.

Instead, he picked up the file, skimmed through it in just a second before he faced his uncle.

"I know this company better than anyone and I want it to flourish just like you want it to. But we’re far from accomplishing that if you’re going to turn down such an offer so soon without even hearing what she has to say," Darien explained. "I would like to listen to her. Leave."

Adeline gulped down her saliva, wetting her throat because of the tension that suddenly brewed in the meeting room. She noticed her assistant in training shifting uncomfortably by the side and realized she wasn’t the only one who felt it.

Mr. Hawthorne glared at his nephew but the green-eyed man only smiled at him.

He felt disrespected but gnashing his teeth and cursing silently was the only thing he could do, for now.

It wouldn’t be for long. Once everything worked out well for him, he would be the one sitting right where Darien was, giving orders.

Shifting the seat, he stepped down and walked towards the door, shifting his glare from Darien to Adeline like she was the cause of all his problems.

Once he was gone, the tension reduced.

"So," Darien said, cutting through the silence like a blade. "Explain your offer."

The way the weight of his gaze poured on her shoulder made her come to realize it was better when his uncle was still around—at least there was someone else he would look at for a second or two—but now, he watched her like a hawk, without glancing anywhere at all.

’What’s the purpose of having good furniture if you won’t even spare a glance at it?’ She wondered, still fascinated by how the meeting room was.

She went ahead to explain the proposal. Thankfully, before Darien could close up his laptop, she’d seen the construction blueprint displayed on the screen for the shortest second.

Since the Solvaena company was untrustworthy, Darien was smart enough not to go to them for materials such as tiles, chairs, and things such as pristine marble floorings.

She went ahead to discuss the benefits of the Donovan company being a better business partner than any other if he intended to search for one overseas since only the Solvaena and Donovan families had mines in the city.

Darien didn’t nod, didn’t interrupt, and not even a single word fell out of his lips until she was done talking.

"So, what do you say, Mr. Hawthorne?" She asked, her heart racing in her chest.

Darien was silent for the longest time possible, his perfect long fingers clicking on the table with precision, possibly deep in thought but she couldn’t tell because apparently, he was still looking at her. No—watching her.

"Other than the benefits of having a company close, what other benefits can I get?" He asked, his deep voice ringing in the room.

"Well, for years, the Donovan corporation has been a good supplier of quality materials to several companies over the past years, including the Hawthorne corporation," she said.

Darien’s eyes darkened once again, it’s probably a bad idea to bring up the past even though she was unsure of what exactly happened.

"You do realize that the Hawthorne and Donovan families are not on good terms right?" He asked. He didn’t even wait for a reply and blasted her with another question. "What made you think that I would agree to this partnership, especially when your grandfather is a prime suspect in killing two powerful members of the Hawthorne family?"

This was a question she wasn’t prepared for. She came here for a business proposal, not to dissolve a family feud. She didn’t even know what had happened exactly that time because she was too young to care about old people and their issues.