RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor

58

"How about we get married right away, Ms Reynolds?"

Instead of answering with excitement, Tom's unprepared proposal left Shannon shocked. She bowed her head in restraint before she actually shook her head and let out a giggle.

Tom was silent as he watched Shannon, who was intrigued by his sudden, no-nonsense proposal. He snickered briefly, then returned to staring at his laptop screen showing the performance of the employees at JF Moulding that he had begun to notice from the surveillance cameras.

"Is something funny, Ms Reynolds? I don't think I'm being funny. I've thought that question through pretty well, too. You know, it's just information for you. I never joke about my survival."

Shannon pressed her lips together and shook her head slowly. She ran her fingers through her hair until her bangs fell behind her ears. "No, Aland. Please don't take offence. It's nothing funny. It's just that I was surprised to hear you out of the blue ask me to marry you. Whereas before, you even kept asking me about my readiness to start a new relationship with you that was full of a war of tricks at work."

Tom looked at Shannon, who was still laughing. He still couldn't find the correlation between surprise and laughter, which now made Shannon look even more pretty and stunning. "So you would laugh when surprised?"

Shannon shook her head and tried to stop herself from laughing again. Unfortunately, it gave the impression that her beauty had never faded. "It's not like that, Aland. It really is. Lemme be clear. Many men propose to their lovers while in a special place, Aland. On the beach, in front of the family, or in a fancy restaurant with romantic music. I had no idea that we were working together from home, and you were out of the blue to propose. It's completely unexpected.”

Tom looked down in exasperation, then rubbed his itchy nose. "My bad if I'm not what you want, Ms Reynolds. It's just that I never thought about this before. Seeing how Arthur is trying to use you, as well as how your mum seems indifferent, I sympathise. You and I are both alone, though with different fates. You with wealth and me with simplicity. That's why I want us to get married soon. It's not that I want to take advantage of you like Arthur did. I just want to get the best partner for my life in the future. Because with you, I feel comfortable and accepted, Ms Reynolds."

Tom's deep, intense gaze drugged Shannon across the table. The two stared at each other for a split second before they both looked away with flushed faces.

"Sorry if I said too much, Ms Reynolds. If you object, you can to refuse."

Shannon smiled again as she glanced at the agitated Tom. She stared at Tom, who often lost focus in front of the laptop screen that had been on.

Slowly, Shannon moved away. She approached Tom, who was sitting on the opposite bench, and pulled her bench to sit near from Tom.

Shannon's delicate hand reached for Tom's hand, that had been tapping on the side of the table. She looked at Tom closely while smiling cheerfully.

"Because of you, I feel comfortable and accepted. I don't need to give you a reason to accept your proposal, do I?"

Arthur had just arrived at the hospital even though the clock was already striking eight in the evening. He could not stay silent. The humiliation he had received from all the friends he had phone numbers for had turned him into a time bomb ready to explode.

Quickly and decisively, Arthur strode towards Camellia's ward. He knocked softly on the door before entering without waiting for an answer.

Jill, who was snoozing on the sofa, could only glance at Arthur quietly. She took a deep breath and got up from the sofa when she was greeted by the thirty-year-old man in front of her.

"Help me, Mrs Reynolds." Jill had almost walked out of Camellia's ward when Arthur fell to his knees and begged. He swallowed hard and tried to convince Jill to do him a favour. "I'm not very good at business, Mrs Reynolds. I admit, I'm a fool one. But I know you're a great businessman. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your guidance, Mrs Reynolds. I don't want to lose. And I want to get JF Group’s back in one piece. But with my skills not being impressive enough, this won't make sense. So please, gimme your direction again to fight for the three subsidiaries that have fallen into the bankruptcy index."

Jill turned her head slowly as she heard Arthur's uncharacteristic statement. She chuckled as she realised Arthur was indeed at the bottom of the wheel. She was actually fed up with Arthur's incompetence in managing such a small subsidiary.

"I wish you hadn't insisted earlier, Arthur."

Arthur lowered his head even further, setting aside his pride to plead only with Jill Reynolds, who had brought him up to the position of director in an instant.

"I promise I will do everything you say, Mrs Reynolds. I won't argue, even in my head."

Jill squinted and considered, then stepped over to the sizable window with a view of the city at the end of the room. "I'm not sure you can keep your promise to me. It's just like before. You can't even behave in public."

Arthur, who was still kneeling, approached Jill with quick movements, still on his knees. Once again, he knelt down and bowed near Jill to assure her of a promise that he would keep no matter what.

"Just tell me, Mrs Reynolds. Tell me what I can do? But I still need your help to get JF's three subsidiaries back on their feet quickly. I don't want to lose to the scum we're supposed to get rid of. At least I brought him to his knees by losing to me."

Jill turned around, looking at Arthur, who was still kneeling and begging. She thinks of some plans, before finally nodding in agreement to Arthur's request, which she had known for quite some time.

"Okay, if that's what you want." Jill paused her sentence when she saw Arthur look up with a sparkling gaze. She pressed her temple lightly with the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. "But remember, Arthur. You must promise to do everything I tell you to do."

Arthur rose from his kneeling position quickly, then nodded firmly. "I will obey whatever you say, Mrs Reynolds. So, how shall we begin, Mrs Reynolds?"

"First, you must meet Tom and apologise to him."

At Jill's words, Arthur frowned. He took a step back before finally ruffling his hair in a huff. "What did you say Mrs Reynolds? You want me to apologise to that scum?"

"Didn't you promise to obey my orders?"