Daniel's gaze was transfixed on Charlotte's bizarre and smug appearance and he sneered at her words.
His fingers began drumming on the table rhythmically, producing a beat that could make anyone nod their heads and tap their feet.
If Lucas had been present, he would have said a short prayer for Charlotte.
At first glance, his boss didn't seem like someone who had musical skills but whenever he was livid, this skill would always show itself.
In other words, Charlotte wasn't going to escape Daniel's wrath this time.
Charlotte, on the other hand, couldn't withstand Daniel's intense gaze so she glanced away.
Then she remembered that her uncle Nikolai was standing strongly behind her, so she resolutely turned back to face Daniel yet the drum of his fingers on the table made her heart skip a beat.
'I don't have to be scared. Uncle Nikolai said that as long as I aid in merging K with Kozlov Empires, I'll be given a permanent position as the Vice President. And my daughter will be engaged to his friend's wealthy grandson.'
'I have to do this for myself and my daughter. What's there to be afraid of? He's just a pawn in all this.' She thought. Her back straightened and her chin rose by a few angles with her newfound confidence.
Daniel stopped drumming his fingers and released a breath, his eyes still fixated on Charlotte watching her every move and change in expression.
All of a sudden, his vision went black and he saw a room in his grandfather's mansion.
In that room, the fragrance of a newly brewed Bahamian tea wafted, the wisps rising slowly and delicately.
Daniel was taken aback as he stared at his surroundings.
He could have sworn that he was just sitting in his dining area with that empty head of an aunt, Charlotte so what was he doing here?
What sorcery is this?
Was he so upset at her words that he began to hallucinate?
'Did I fall asleep while talking to that woman? What exactly is going on?' Daniel thought.
It was then he heard a familiar voice, "You may be an eccentric fellow but I think you should know what would benefit you and what wouldn't."
Daniel still perplexed by the situation of things turned around and saw his Grandfather, Nikolai Kozlov standing by the window of his bedroom.
Wearing a navy green buttoned-up shirt and pants, his tall and lean frame still exuded a commanding presence. His previously luscious brown hair was now laden with streaks of silver and was meticulously styled.
His piercing hazel eyes were framed by deep wrinkles and just as always, his pale lips held a lit cigar in place.
Daniel shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Hoping that this bout of hallucinations would pass and he'd be brought back to his home in Crystal Hills.
However, when he opened his eyes he still saw the image of his grandfather standing before him.
'What in God's name is going on?! Why am I seeing grandfather?'
A sickly sweet voice rang out beside him and Daniel knew who owned that voice immediately after he heard it.
"Uncle, of course, I know this better than anyone. It's just that Grace, my daughter…." The voice dragged out as if trying to let someone else fill in the blanks.
This person was obviously asking for benefits that they couldn't obtain themselves.
And who else would have such greedy ambitions that could swallow half a city if it wasn't his aunt Charlotte?
But then he frowned.
'What is Charlotte doing here? Wasn't she just in my house?'
"I'll send a letter to my good friend Victor Xizola. He'll arrange a small engagement ceremony between Grace and his grandson Koby in a few days."
Charlotte's eyebrows jumped in excitement. It was obvious that Nikolai's arrangement was very acceptable to her.
She cleared her throat and said with a wide smile, "Hai! Uncle. You really treat your grandniece the best. She'll definitely be very grateful."
Then she frowned and even Daniel who was standing quietly at the side knew she was about to make another demand.
"But it's just that after her good-for-nothing father ran away, all the responsibility of caring for my Gracie has fallen upon my weak shoulders…." Charlotte said, even managing to squeeze out a few alligator tears.
Daniel sneered as he watched the drama unfold.
'What sort of play was this? Who gave this tactless woman a script?'
'Who did she think she was deceiving?'
'Does she think this pitiful act would move grandfather?'
Sure enough, when Daniel glanced at Nikolai, he noticed the subtle shift of his grandfather's eyebrows. He watched as he pulled the cigar from his lips and spat out a mouth full of smoke, his lips pursed in disgust.
"Don't worry. You're not doing this for free so you'll definitely be compensated accordingly. If you can convince Daniel to come for the event and also merge K into Kozlov Empires, you'll be appointed as the Vice-President of both companies." Nikolai said indifferently but his words made Charlotte break into a toothy smile.
"Oh, my days! Thank you so much, Uncle. I'll get to it right away." Charlotte said excitedly and quickly grabbed an envelope that was extremely familiar to Daniel from the table and left the room briskly.
With how quickly she left, one would think that she wanted to escape so that his grandfather wouldn't regret and take back his words.
However, Charlotte was bound to be disappointed.
Daniel stood quietly in the corner as he took in everything.
It was one thing to say and it was a completely different thing to act upon it.
Anything not written on paper or recorded can just be thrown off as mere words said in a fit of emotion.
'If anyone promises you anything, always make sure you have it on paper and they sign it. If they don't want to sign, just record them while saying it, you can make a good fortune out of it.'
Daniel remembered the words of his grandfather very well.
Charlotte smiled so gratefully thinking she had found a golden thigh to hug but she just didn't know Nikolai Kozlov who treated those promises as air.
Immediately the words were said, they would be gone, like the wind.
There would be no proof and Charlotte would just be a disposable pawn in his game.
Daniel glanced at his grandfather, who calmly sat at his desk, his thoughts all over the place.
Speaking of which, the envelope he saw just now was the same envelope Charlotte gave to him at home.
With widened eyes, Daniel had a wild thought, 'Could it be that this was what happened before Charlotte arrived in Crystal Hills?'
Immediately he had that thought, he found himself staring eye to eye with Charlotte's outrageously ridiculous dark mascara.
He leaned back and tried to breathe but sucked in a strange scent that left a bitter taste at the back of his throat.
Daniel resisted the urge to lash out at Charlotte and coughed in discomfort, "And what do you think you're doing?!"
Charlotte eyed Daniel from head to toe before reclining in her seat, "You suddenly went mute and wouldn't even respond after I called you severally. I thought you had a stroke or something." She started pretty audibly but mumbled the last part of her words.
Ignoring her response, Daniel's focus remained on the opened envelope that lay on the table before him.
He couldn't ignore the unsettling notion that what he had witnessed in his strange vision might hold more truth than he initially believed.
His heart trembled slightly, a mix of excitement and apprehension coursing through him.
However, this would obviously be investigated properly.
Daniel stood up and straightened his suit and tie. His expression was cold as ice as he threw a glance at the maid who was just bringing in his breakfast stilling her into place.
'Dear heavens, I'm sorry Boss but I'd rather face a dragon than serve breakfast to that walking circus of an aunt!', the flustered maid thought, her heart racing as her boss's displeased gaze bore into her.
Her grip on the tray tightened and she quickly scurried away from the scene, leaving the peculiar situation to unfold further.
Charlotte's gaze lingered longingly on the enticing pancakes and the tantalizing aroma of milk tea before her.
She swallowed hard, her mind racing.
Daniel, meanwhile, didn't miss a beat. "Aunt Charlotte, as you can see, I'm on my way out. So please," he declared with a dismissive wave of his arm.
Lost in a momentary daydream of pancakes and milk tea, Charlotte could only muster a bewildered, "Huh?"
Daniel's sneer deepened, disgusted at her vacillation, "Your daughter, Gracie, and her soon to be fiancé Koby Xizola's engagement is in a few days, I'm sure you wouldn't want to be late."
Although he didn't quite understand the vision he saw, he still decided to bite the bullet and said what he heard his 'grandfather' say.
He had a gnawing suspicion that what he had witnessed in that strange vision was real. His grandfather's words weren't the kind that would be easily dismissed as mere hallucinations.
His aunt's reaction will determine if what he saw was true or just a farce of his imagination.
And true enough, his words made Charlotte whose eyes were already filled with pancakes dim as she whipped her head towards him in shock.
Daniel watched Charlotte closely as her composure crumbled, her facade of confidence fading away like a mirage in the desert.
Her dark mascara-smudged eyes widened, and her lips quivered as she stammered, "How did you find out about that?!"
A cold glint flashed through Daniel's eyes.
'Heh.' He sneered inwardly.
He was right, or rather, his vision was right.
So he leaned in closer to his aunt, his gaze as icy as the coldest winter night.
"Aunt Charlotte, I have my ways of knowing things." He smiled with a chilling calmness.
He was always one to relish the upper hand, but today, he had an unexpected advantage—the strange ability to witness moments he shouldn't have seen, like the private conversation between Charlotte and their grandfather.