A month was more than enough time for her to fight this out with them.
She made a single call to their business partner, and Wynn Shaw unilaterally canceled a major project worth nearly a hundred million—a deal that would have doubled the Lancaster Group’s valuation.
She had her pride; she would never again be the fool who gave everything so mindlessly.
The next day, Jaden Lancaster rushed back.
His vacation cut short, the man pushed open the office door, his deep eyes barely suppressing his fury.
He found Wynn Shaw leisurely sipping tea.
“Why didn’t you answer my calls?
The collaboration with Mr.
Lynch was already settled, and your design draft was halfway done.
Why did you unilaterally cancel our most important project?”
The thought of his happy little family trip abroad being cut short made Wynn want to laugh.
She threw his own favorite excuse back at him, saying nonchalantly,
“Sorry, my phone died.
I haven’t been feeling well lately, and the project’s workload is too heavy.
I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.”
Overnight, the man she had stood by—from his shy, awkward youth to the cool, imposing figure he was today—had become a complete stranger to her.
‘So that’s how it was.
All that time I was struggling and shouldering the weight, he truly didn’t give a damn.’
Sure enough, Jaden ignored the latter part of her explanation, just as he always did.
His expression remained grim.
She smiled faintly, twisting the knife.
“Didn’t you and Summer Sullivan just close a more valuable overseas deal yesterday?
Why would you still care about this one?”
‘What overseas project?
The money probably went straight into Summer Sullivan’s pocket.’
Jaden froze, his eyes locked on her.
Her expression was placid, her gaze unwavering.
The hint of adoration and eagerness to please that once filled her eyes was completely gone.
‘Something has changed,’ he thought suddenly.
‘Wynn must be furious.
That’s why she’s defying me.’
He swallowed the reprimand on the tip of his tongue.
He knew better than anyone that the company still couldn’t function without Wynn.
Her design talent and market intuition were one-of-a-kind; otherwise, the Lancaster Group wouldn’t have appreciated in value so rapidly.
As for why Wynn was angry, Jaden guessed it was because he had used the money from their wedding fund last night.
He had done it on impulse while drunk, moved by Summer Sullivan’s tears.
While he didn’t exactly regret it, he did feel a sliver of guilt toward Wynn.
His brow softened, and his tone grew gentler.
He sighed.
“Silly girl, if you’re tired, you should rest.
Don’t push yourself.
Your health comes first.”
Just then, the office door opened.
Summer Sullivan walked in casually, leading her three-year-old son by the hand.
Her tone was affectionate.
“Chase wanted to come see Mr.
Lancaster at work.
I hope we’re not interrupting?”
Her words were polite, but her behavior was anything but.
The moment Jaden saw the child, his imposing aura vanished.
He was about to instinctively reach for the boy when Wynn’s words rooted him to the spot.
“How could you be interrupting?
Don’t be such a stranger.
I’m very fond of Chase.
I was even thinking of having him be the ring bearer at my wedding to Jaden.”
The word “wedding” made Summer Sullivan’s face fall, but she was no pushover.
She quickly masked her expression and secretly tugged on her son’s arm.
The child immediately cooperated, yelling, “I don’t want to!
Not unless my mommy marries Mr.
Lancaster!”
The air in the room instantly froze.
Summer Sullivan gave a helpless smile and tapped the boy on the nose.
“Silly child, you must consider others’ feelings when you speak.
You can’t just say such outrageous things.”
But Wynn wasn’t angry or annoyed.
Her smile didn’t falter as she spoke softly to the child.
“Chase, your mother is right.
You can’t just say things like that.
Mr.
Lancaster and I have been together for four years.
Everyone in the company knows about our relationship.
You wouldn’t want people calling your mother a homewrecker, would you?”
Jaden Lancaster’s expression darkened.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, he shot the child a glare.
Chase Sullivan immediately fell silent, his face a mask of indignation.
The smile on Summer Sullivan’s face froze for a second.
She had been outmaneuvered.
‘A homewrecker?’
‘If anyone’s a homewrecker, it’s Wynn Shaw, isn’t it?’
At her side, Jaden Lancaster glanced at her.
“Summer Sullivan, step out for a moment.”
Summer Sullivan’s heart went cold, but she remembered that just last night, Jaden had transferred his and Wynn’s wedding money to her as a show of loyalty.
She endured the slight.
With only the two of them left in the room, Jaden felt a growing unease.
He took the initiative to invite her out.
“Wynn, it’s been a long time since we’ve gone out for a candlelight dinner.
Let’s go tonight.”
‘I’ll buy her a little gift, too,’ he thought.
‘In my eyes, Wynn is so easy to placate.’
‘I’ll compensate her materially.
She has no family or relatives; I’m all she has to rely on.
All these years, she’s stuck by me, refusing to leave.
What else could she be after, if not this?’
“If there’s anything else you want, just ask.
Money is fine, too.”
Wynn had expected this.
She smiled.
“Oh, yes.
There’s quite a lot, actually.”
‘And I’ll take it all back, one thing at a time.’
‘So it really is about the money.’ Even though Jaden had expected it, a complex emotion stirred within him, one he couldn’t quite name.
“Alright.
Then first, focus on getting better.
Then, you can properly finish the rest of the project with the Lynch Group.
I’ll take you out tonight to relax.”
Just then, a text message appeared on Wynn’s phone:
“Miss Shaw, this is Special Assistant Warren.
Mr.
Preston has been informed of the Shaw Family’s interest in a marriage alliance and cordially invites you to dinner tonight at Aquaflora Tower, A01.”
Wynn snapped her phone shut and got up to leave.
“I have to meet an important guest tonight,” she said coolly.
“Once that’s settled, I’ll consider dealing with other matters.”
Assuming she was going to meet a client for the Lancaster Group, and since she hadn’t brought up the wedding fund again, Jaden breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t press further.
“Alright, we’ll plan dinner for another time.
Work is more important.”
“I won’t see you out.
I hope your meeting goes well.”
Wynn’s gaze dimmed.
He was only willing to spare a few words, a superficial effort with no follow-through.
He couldn’t even be bothered to try and coax her out of the coldness she was deliberately showing.
After Wynn left, Summer Sullivan came back in, still stewing and clearly emotional.
“Jaden, when she called me a homewrecker just now, do you know how awful I felt?
In the face of such a blatant lie, you were weighing the pros and cons instead of even saying a word to defend me.
Your feelings for Wynn outweigh your feelings for me, don’t they?”
Jaden sighed and pressed a kiss to her lips.
“Don’t overthink it.
Since I promised to take care of you and Chase, I won’t marry her.
A lot of the company’s key employees were trained by her.
Making a big scene would be ugly and bad for the Lancaster Group’s reputation.”
Summer Sullivan choked back a sob, and tears streamed down her face.
“Do you have any idea what I’ve given up?
For you and Chase, I didn’t even dare to agree to the marriage alliance my family arranged… I may not have been with you through your hardest times like Wynn was, but I gave you a child.
Isn’t that enough to prove how much I love you?
You’re President Lancaster now; the Sullivan Family won’t stand in our way anymore.”
She paused.
“Could you really bear to let me down?”
He was moved.
Back in college, when he had nothing, it had been Summer Sullivan who had anonymously supported him, who had guarded his fragile pride, who had even slipped him secret letters to warm his heart.
She would always be his First Love; that would never change.
“I will never let you down,” he promised, pulling her into his arms.
“Just give me a little more time.
Once Wynn helps the Lancaster Group secure this final, major project with the Lynch Group, and our market value has completely stabilized, I’ll break up with her immediately and marry you.”
Summer Sullivan gradually calmed down.
She also knew that pushing him too hard might drive him back to Wynn.
That would be a loss she couldn’t afford, so she had no choice but to be patient.
「Aqua Tower.」
The seat by the window overlooked the blanket of lights across Eldoria.
The man sat bathed in the dim, golden light, looking like a statue meticulously carved by time itself.
His dark gray suit fit him perfectly, every line accentuating the breadth of his shoulders and the muscles of his back.
A sliver of a cool, pale wrist peeked from a masterfully tailored cuff.
His long, elegant eyelashes cast soft shadows beneath his eyes.
He didn’t look up until the sound of footsteps drew near, and even then, his gaze lifted lazily.
Behind his gold-rimmed glasses was a pair of intensely predatory eyes.
The corners were upturned slightly, and his pupils were as deep as a winter ocean.
When his gaze landed on a person, it carried a subtle, appraising quality, as though he could see through everything with ease but was too indolent to call any of it out.
Low jazz music drifted through the restaurant as his long fingers tapped idly at the menu.
He projected a powerful aura—not of casual indifference, but of the natural pressure exerted by someone long accustomed to being in charge.
Wynn had changed into a champagne-colored silk gown for the occasion.
After years of being belittled by Jaden, she had almost forgotten what she truly looked like.
Now, with a touch of makeup and her long hair swept up to reveal the white, slender column of her throat, the flicker in her eyes held a hint of the Kaelus socialite she once was.
“Mr.
Preston, Miss Shaw has arrived.”