The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Sean Sinclair’s phone was dead.

He grabbed a charging cable and plugged it in.

’It’s a good thing his phone died,’ Charles Jordan thought. ’He can face Chairman Forrester’s wrath first. The storm over his wife’s identity can wait.’ He was afraid President Sinclair wouldn’t be able to handle both at once.

"President Sinclair, Chairman Forrester is furious that you lost the bid because of a personal matter. It took a lot of money and connections to suppress the media backlash."

Sean Sinclair’s eyes darted. "First, let’s go to the office. Grab the project proposal for Elder Shepherd’s patent."

"Yes, sir." Charles Jordan first drove to Stellaxis Technologies, went upstairs to get the proposal, and then headed straight for the Forrester estate.

The car pulled into the Forrester family’s villa.

It was dinnertime, and the Forrester family was eating. The butler came to report, "President Sinclair and Assistant Quinn have arrived."

Liam Forrester and his sister, Hailey Forrester, looked up at the same time.

A glimmer flashed in Hailey Forrester’s eyes.

Chairman Forrester continued eating. "Have them wait in the meeting hall."

"Yes, sir." The butler withdrew.

Hailey Forrester looked like she wanted to speak, but a look from her father stopped her.

"Rein in those thoughts of yours. I’ve told you before, Sean Sinclair is already married. And even if he weren’t, his heart belongs to someone else. Don’t go chasing after him."

Hailey Forrester averted her gaze. "You can’t just let them wait on an empty stomach."

"He caused such a huge loss for Stellaxis Technologies. What’s the big deal about him missing one meal?" Chairman Forrester said with a stern expression.

Liam Forrester placed some food on his father’s plate. "Dad, have some of this. It’s delicious."

"Sis, you should eat more too."

This smoothed over the brief, unpleasant moment between father and daughter.

Chairman Forrester’s tone softened. "Let’s eat first. Give up on your feelings for Sean Sinclair. I know you don’t like him *that* much anyway. You’d be better off focusing your attention on Nathaniel Cole."

Hailey Forrester said, "With the Cole family’s power, they don’t need to rely on a marriage alliance. I can’t do it on my own. Nathaniel Cole isn’t a gentleman in the slightest. He wouldn’t even let a female mosquito get near him."

Chairman Forrester: "He’s just principled."

Liam Forrester nodded. "Sis, if you could win over a man like that, he would be completely devoted to you. You’d never have to spend your days dealing with your husband’s mistresses and lovers like other women do."

How could Hailey Forrester not know that?

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried.

At a charity gala once, she had summoned all her courage to ask Nathaniel Cole to dance.

In front of everyone, Nathaniel Cole hadn’t even bothered to pretend, bluntly saying he wasn’t interested.

It was a double entendre: he wasn’t interested in dancing, and he wasn’t interested in her.

It was utterly humiliating.

She tried again, bringing up the Cole family elders, saying it was Mr. Cole and Ms. Neville’s idea.

Nathaniel Cole didn’t refuse outright this time, but he changed his excuse.

"My leg is broken."

"..." She had never been so speechless in her entire life.

The man was standing right there perfectly fine, and when he turned to leave, his stride was crisper and more elegant than anyone’s, yet he claimed his leg was broken.

How was that any different from farting in public to insult her?

Hailey Forrester got angry just thinking about it.

Sean Sinclair was gentle, polite, young, and accomplished. If she hadn’t heard from her father that he was married, she would have definitely pursued him.

"Liam, stop worrying about me. Think about yourself. You should be working on your career and your love life. You’re about to turn twenty-four; it’s time to get engaged." Hailey Forrester diverted the attention to her brother.

Liam Forrester’s eyes crinkled, and he gave a sunny smile. "I already have someone I like."

His father and sister looked at him at the same time.

"I asked you yesterday, and you said you didn’t. You found someone that fast?"

"Just now." Liam Forrester thought of Leila Jennings, whom he had seen on the side of the road. She had a cool, aloof temperament and was breathtakingly beautiful. He had thought she was the heiress of some large corporation, but he never expected her to be a national research scientist.

Hailey Forrester understood immediately. "Love at first sight."

Liam Forrester’s ears instantly turned red.

Hailey Forrester teased, "So innocent."

The family passed the time laughing and talking at the dinner table. By the time they finished eating, half an hour had passed.

Chairman Forrester intentionally made Sean Sinclair and Charles Jordan wait a while longer.

Inside the meeting hall.

Sean Sinclair and Charles Jordan were sitting, the tea in front of them having been refilled several times.

Sean Sinclair knew Chairman Forrester was deliberately making him wait. Of course, he had the patience for it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be sitting in the president’s chair at Stellaxis Technologies.

Charles Jordan caught sight of Chairman Forrester and Mr. Forrester and immediately stood up. "President Sinclair, Chairman Forrester is here."

Sean Sinclair also rose to his feet.

"Chairman Forrester, Mr. Forrester."

"Mm." Chairman Forrester gave a slight nod, his usual smile absent. He was clearly still angry.

Sean Sinclair immediately admitted his fault. "I deeply apologize for causing the company to lose the bid due to my personal affairs, and for the damage it has brought to the company’s reputation. I will go to headquarters tomorrow to personally apologize to all the shareholders."

"Losing the bid is a done deal. This is my remedial plan. I ask Chairman Forrester to please look it over."

Charles Jordan handed the proposal to Sean Sinclair, who then presented it with both hands.

Chairman Forrester gestured for his son to take it.

Sean Sinclair said, "Although this research patent from Elder Shepherd can’t compare to the national self-developed chip project, it’s still a patent that many companies are fighting tooth and nail to acquire. I’ve spoken with Elder Shepherd. The elder gentleman is unwilling to sell the patent, but he is open to a partnership. If Stellaxis can partner with Elder Shepherd and introduce this patented technology, we can still achieve high profits while simultaneously boosting Stellaxis’s industry standing and brand recognition."

Liam Forrester handed the proposal to his father. He suddenly understood why his father valued Sean Sinclair so highly and had intended to promote him into the Forrester corporation.

Faced with a sudden crisis, he had remained calm and was even able to immediately produce a backup plan.

That wasn’t something you could do on the spur of the moment.

Chairman Forrester read through the proposal carefully, then looked at Sean Sinclair. His gaze was no longer as cold as it had been before.

"The shareholders will need an explanation."

"Yes." Sean Sinclair nodded. It seemed the chairman was reasonably satisfied with his backup plan.

"It’s always hard to be completely certain about a bid, but for you to let your private life affect the company—that was wrong of you." Chairman Forrester still had to deliver his reprimand.

Sean Sinclair continued to nod. "It is my fault. I failed to live up to the chairman’s trust, and I failed to live up to the shareholders’ trust."

"If you don’t want to betray that trust, if you want to keep your position, you must secure Elder Shepherd’s patent," Chairman Forrester said in a grave tone. "Otherwise, I won’t be able to answer to the shareholders, and it will be very difficult for me to protect you."

"I understand. Thank you, Chairman Forrester." ’Sean Sinclair sighed in relief internally.’

Chairman Forrester handed the proposal back to him and asked, "How confident are you about Elder Shepherd? His temper is quite peculiar."

"At the last reception, Elder Shepherd and I had a very pleasant conversation." Sean Sinclair didn’t dare boast of a 100% guarantee. "I will do everything in my power to secure it. If I fail, I will submit to whatever punishment you and the shareholders deem fit."

Chairman Forrester suddenly smiled. "It was this boldness of yours that I first took a liking to. If this doesn’t work out, be prepared for a demotion. If it does, we’ll go ahead with the celebration banquet, and I’ll give you another share of Stellaxis Technologies’ stock."

A slap and then a sweet. The classic tactic of those in power.

Sean Sinclair knew he had scraped by Chairman Forrester’s test.

"Go on back. Your father went to Stellaxis today to ask about you. I didn’t let my people say anything they shouldn’t have," Chairman Forrester reminded him. "Sean Sinclair, you need to have your priorities straight about what’s more important, your career or women. Don’t let a little romance affect your reputation and your future."

This was a warning. Since he was married, he should behave himself and not get tripped up by such matters.

"Thank you for the advice, Chairman Forrester." Sean Sinclair left the Forrester estate unscathed.

Back in the car, he gulped down half a bottle of cold water. GULP. GULP.

His phone was also fully charged.

Sean Sinclair picked up his phone and opened the day’s news.

The headline "National Self-Developed Chip Project and The Cole Group Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement at 3 PM" was next to a bright red "BREAKING" tag.

He tapped on it.

A photo of Nathaniel Cole and Leila Jennings shaking hands and facing the camera flooded his vision.