Someone once said that the person you love the most in this lifetime may not be the one you end up with, but the one you end up with is the person most suited to you.
She had to be honest with herself. The person she loved the most was the Kingsly Scott from seven years ago. The pain she felt when she broke up with him was something she would never forget.
To her, the Kingsly Scott of today was a stranger. Apart from his appearance, she couldn't see any trace of his past self... So, for her, the Kingsly she loved had utterly vanished from this world. That deep love, with his disappearance, existed only in her memories.
She might not have been able to forget this person from her memories completely. Still, she had been trying to be wholeheartedly devoted to Jasper. Yet, forgetting someone was more complicated than she had imagined.
"Miss Foster."
Lost in thought while holding her coffee by the floor-to-ceiling window, she turned to see her assistant entering with a bouquet of red roses.
She frowned slightly, puzzled.
Why was he sending flowers again? It had been over half a month since they last met, and during this time, she hadn't seen him again. She thought he had honored his promise not to disturb her.
The assistant placed the bouquet on her desk, admiringly saying, "Mr. Reed is so romantic. This must be ninety-nine roses."
Why wasn't he keeping his word?
In the business world, his word was as good as gold, so why was he unreliable with her?
Just when her life with Jasper had finally returned to normal, why was this happening again?
Annoyed, she walked over to the bouquet, set down her coffee, picked up the flowers, and headed straight for the trash can.
Without any hesitation, she tossed the bouquet into the trash. The narrow trash can couldn't bear the weight of the large bouquet and toppled over, spilling the roses and dislodging a card.
She turned to leave, but as she did, her peripheral vision caught the signature on the card on the floor, and the name "Jasper" made her stop abruptly. She turned back, bent down, and picked up the card.
She froze momentarily, realizing that the flowers were actually from Jasper.
"Dear wife, I'm about to get off the plane. Can we have dinner together?" — Jasper.
It turned out that Jasper had sent the flowers while he was on a business trip.
Embarrassed, Rachel picked up the bouquet from the trash can again. However, it now looked quite disheveled, with roses scattered everywhere.
Her assistant laughed, "Miss Foster, you scared me. I thought you and Mr. Reed had another fight."
Rachel gently shook her head, staring dumbfoundedly at the bouquet of roses, lost in thought. She had misunderstood; the flowers weren't from him.
It seemed she had overthought it; he hadn't broken his promise.
She had noticed from the news that he had been in the U.S. recently... She recalled that Helen mentioned his wife had gone to the U.S., and now it seemed he had gone to bring her back.
His and her lives had finally returned to their proper paths.
Just as Rachel sighed in relief, her phone rang on the desk.
She picked it up and saw Noah calling. She smiled slightly and put the phone to her ear, "Hello..."
Noah's slightly urgent voice said, "Sis, I might be in trouble..."
In a quiet corner of the café, Rachel Foster looked at her brother sitting across from her. She asked calmly, "Is the problem severe?"Noah Foster had lost his usual vibrant spirit, appearing dejected as he leaned back in his chair, a sign of fatigue on his face. "Considering the losses, it's at least five hundred million."
"Five hundred million?" Rachel was shocked. "How could it be that much?"
Noah responded calmly, "The company spent two hundred million on this project, another hundred million on establishing government connections, and two hundred million on the initial phase over the past half month."
Rachel was incredulous, her hand trembling slightly as she held her coffee cup. She remained calm and asked, "Wasn't the two hundred million for the project bid supposed to be covered by Titans Group?"
Noah shook his head despondently. "The Shallow Bay project was my responsibility, including the bidding, from start to finish."
Rachel shook her head, not understanding.
Noah continued to explain. "After I joined Titans Group, Mr. Scott valued my opinion and asked for my thoughts on the Shallow Bay land. Even though I knew the land was barren, remote, and had no potential for commercial development, I believed I could turn decay into a miracle. If a barren desert can become Las Vegas, why can't a landfill become a golden commercial hub? So I expressed my attitude to Mr. Scott."
Rachel gripped the coffee cup tightly, feeling an ominous premonition.
"Mr. Scott appreciated my ideas, saying my boldness reminded him of his youth. He asked if I dared to take on the Shallow Bay project."
Rachel furrowed her brow and asked, "Did you choose to take it on without hesitation?"
Noah nodded. "I always hoped for a chance to make my mark in the business world, so I saw this as a blessing. With what I learned on Wall Street, I was confident I could handle the project."
"So he took you to the business summit and put you fully in charge of the project from bidding to construction?" Rachel asked further.
Noah replied. "Mr. Scott hesitated about whether a newcomer like me could handle a large project like Shallow Bay, but I repeatedly assured him and signed a contract with him. Only then did Mr. Scott entrust the project to me."
Rachel's grip on the coffee cup shook violently, spilling the hot liquid and burning her hand.
Noah was startled. "Sis, are you okay?"
Rachel seemed oblivious to the pain, her eyes wide with shock, her breath catching. "Are you saying... you signed a liability contract with Kingsly Scott?"
"Yes, to earn Mr. Scott's trust, I guaranteed in the contract that if there were losses on the Shallow Bay project, I would be responsible for them. So..." Noah squeezed the bridge of his nose in frustration, blaming himself. "It's my fault for not thoroughly evaluating the Shallow Bay land beforehand. I didn't discover that it was originally an abandoned nuclear power plant site, with residual nuclear radiation making it unsuitable for any commercial development, which is why the government turned it into a landfill..."
Rachel Foster leaned heavily against the back of her chair, her face pale.Noah Foster shook his head repeatedly, feeling quite helpless. "Sis, I conducted tests at Shallow Bay and confirmed high radiation levels. However, I still believe the elevated radiation is due to the various discarded metal waste on the surface, not from the underground abandoned nuclear plant. If we bury or relocate the waste, the radiation levels should return to normal... But this assumption hasn't been accepted by the government. They still believe the area is unsuitable for commercial development due to radiation and have asked us to convert it into another type of project."
Rachel's voice began to tremble. "Is it still possible to convert the project now?"
"It is possible to convert it, but..." Noah sighed. "The alternative projects won't generate the massive profits that a commercial center would. We've already invested five hundred million into this project. If we can't convert the land into a commercial center, we'll never recover that investment."
Rachel's pale lips trembled. "So you'll be responsible for all the losses?"
"Yes." Noah rubbed his temples in frustration.
Rachel took three deep breaths to calm herself, then sat up straight and asked calmly, "What is Titans Group's current stance?"
"Mr. Scott is in the U.S., and Helen must have reported the situation. The worst-case scenario is that Mr. Scott removes me from my position at Titans Group and demands I compensate for all the losses as per the contract. The best-case scenario is that he overlooks my mistake and allows me to continue managing the conversion project. However, after completing the project, I still need to ensure I can offset the current losses.
Rachel said despondently. "Kingsly Scott is unlikely to give you the ideal outcome, and even if he does give you time, you can't guarantee that the conversion project will cover the current losses. In the end, you'll still owe this money."
"That's the trouble I mentioned..."
Five hundred million isn't just a trivial sum; it's not five million or fifty million... Even if Silverstone Holdings were sold, it wouldn't cover such an amount.
What should be done?
"Sis, could you ask Jasper for help? It's possible to move three hundred million from Silverstone Holdings. If Mr. Scott allows me to continue the project, I can generate two hundred million from the conversion.
"Noah..." Rachel met her brother's hopeful gaze with a heavy heart. "Silverstone Holdings is just a small real estate group in the city. Even if Jasper is willing to help you, he can't gather three hundred million."
Noah slumped into his chair. "Then what should we do?"
Rachel's eyes grew hazy as she became lost in thought, seeming to comfort Noah and herself. "Don't worry, we'll find a way. We will..."
Rachel had left, leaving Noah alone in the quiet café.
He ordered a glass of red wine and drank quietly, his composed and stern face expressionless.
I'm sorry, Sis... Forgive me for doing this.
You've sacrificed so much for me and Diana over the years; it's time for us to repay you.
You once gave up your love for us. I hope your love can find its way back to you.