Listening to Cole’s words, Estre just held him tight without moving. She stared at Cole for a long
while before breaking into an easy smile. “I thought it was something serious. It’s just a project. If we
have to let it go, we let it go. Next time I’llnd you a bigger fish.”
Her nonchnce seemed to half-convince Cole, who looked at her with a mix of belief and doubt.
“Estre, you really don’t mind about this?” She should be aware of Holly’s
situation in Innovative Solutions Inc..
Estre waved it off as if swatting a fly. “It’s not a big deal. Not worth getting all mopey over.”
Her smile was as steadfast as ever, and Cole fell into silence. Cole knew his daughter all too well-she
kept everything bottled up inside, never willing to share her burdens with
anyone.
Seeing Cole’s fixed gaze, Estre knew what he was worried about. He was concerned about Holly
coming back, and worried about her marriage with Jason going south.
Hér years with Jason had been like being married to a shadow. And with divorce rates sky-high, who
could guarantee a smooth sail in marriage?
Although they got along well recently, Jason’s attitude towards her was just like that, not even as
attentive as it was towards Serene. She had always been the one tofort him and smile at him, so
he had grown ustomed to putting in no effort, acting as though giving her a wedding ring was doing
her a massive favor.
On reflection, she didn’t find much in the marriage worth clinging to. Especially now with Holly back in
the picture, her stock had plummeted even more.
Reading the concern in Cole’s eyes, Estre wrapped her arms around his neck an reassured him with
a confident smile. “Dad, don’t worry about me. Besides, I’ve alre aplished what I needed to. Jason
has lost his value to me.”
When Estre mentioned her achieved goals, Cole’s eyes widened in surprise. “Estre
you…”
She ced her hands on Cole’s shoulders, massaging them gently. “I haven’t told anyone but Jesse,
so let’s keep this between us for now. I don’t want mom to identally spill the
beans.”
Cole, still concerned, asked, “Estre, what’s your n now?”
“y it by ear.” With Jason’s character, she didn’t need to do anything-he would screw up on his own.
But she hesitated to share too much with Cole, not wanting to burden him with worry. After all, she had
always been the one to make her own decisions, ever since she was young.
14:37
Cole caught Estre’s hands from his shoulders and advised, “Just take things in stride, and try not to
let your emotions get the better of you.”
“I know, Dad.”
After further talking with Cole, Estre left thepany. Gripping the steering wheel, veins popping on
the back of her hands, Estre trembled with fury.
What right did Jason have to ask her father to give up the Silverbrook project? If he wanted to curry
favor with Holly and show his loyalty, why didn’t he use Nelson
International’s interests to do so?
Right, they were married. So only by stepping on her and the Dorvold family could he prove his loyalty
to Holly.
As for Holly working in Innovative Solutions Inc., it was clear as day she was challenging Estre,
competing for the first project against Dorvold Group, despite being under the weather. Any other
person would be resting at home.
It seemed Holly couldn’t wait to return, and snatch Jason back.
Estre’s chest tightened as she drove, the difort so intense it hurt to breathe. Jason’s gallivanting
didn’t bother her, nor did his affair with Holly. But he crossed a line touching the Dorvold family’s
interests.
After all these years, the Dorvold family had never taken advantage of him. What did he
think he was?
The more Estre thought about it, the angrier she got. She had only put on an act of indifference in
Cole’s office to keep him from worrying. Jason was her husband, sure, but even if he wasn’t, she
couldn’t swallow this. So when she got back to Sandalwoo after work, she waited for Jason to return.
As time ticked by with no sign of Jason, Estre’s anger mounted. Ever since Hol return, he had
reverted to his old ways, noting home.
Around 10 p.m., while Estre was fuming in bed and pretending to read, Jason’s cal finally parked
downstairs.
“Mr. Jason, you’re back.” Marie greeted him upon his entrance and asked, “Mr. Jason, would you like to
something to eat?”
“No thank you.” Jason asked, “Has Estree back?”
sis
Marie replied, “She’s back. Had two tes of food and a big bowl of soup for dinner. Ms. Estre’s
appetite has been really goodtely.” If it weren’t for thest medical examination confirming no
pregnancy, Marie might have started suspecting in that direction.
Relieved that Estre seemed to be in good spirits, Jason rxed, thinking she was still unaware of his
visit to Cole. Better to exin things to her now than have her find out
14:37
from someone elseter.
Still, the thought of finding an excuse made Jason uneasy.
N?velDrama.Org is the owner.
A few
days before, Holly’s mom Catrina hade to see him, exining that the board didn’t want Holly in
thepany, so they’d set her up with a difficult task to make her back down. Holly, however, wasn’t
ready to give up. Catrina mentioned how Holly had been feeling insecure over the past years,
constantly trying to prove herself, searching for her value. If she didn’t secure this project, she wouldn’t
be able to stay in Innovative Solutions Inc..
Catrina had cornered Jason,ying it on thick about how she really hadn’t wanted Holly to kick up a
fuss. However, Holly had been adamant about not wanting to be a useless person anymore, so Catrina
reluctantly came to him as ast resort. Catrina begged him to help soften the Dorvolds’ stance,
promising that Holly would steer clear of any trouble with them in the future. Catrina was hoping Jason
could smooth things over, mentioning that if things went south, it would be a bad look for both families,
and Jason would be caught in the middle.
It was a face-to-face plea, and Jason couldn’t find it in him to say no. So off he went to sée Cole.
As he pushed through his bedroom door, he found Estre lounging on the bed, absorbed in a novel.
Without a word, Jason wrapped his arms around her, but before he could say anything, Estre beat
him to the punch.
“You hit up Dorvold Group to see my dad today?” she asked, cutting straight to the chase.
Jason, still enveloping her in his embrace, thought she’d been in the dark about the whole affair.
Turned out, she was already clued in.
“Yeah,” Jason murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, before attempting
“This is Holly’s first job back, and…”
Before Jason could finish his sentence, Estre chuckled sarcastically.