Chapter 0396


    Candice could feel the silence in the air inside the car.


    Alex looked up and asked, "What do you want to talk about?" He looked at her, his expression quite


    calm.


    Candice had been staying in the hospital for the past two days, and herplexion was somewhat


    pale. She took out a document from her bag, which she had prepared during her time in the


    hospital.


    "These are some specific points of mutual benefit for cooperation between Burning Star and Aether.


    I believe that the cooperation between Burning Star and Aether should not be one-sided."


    Candice handed the document to Alex, who nced at it briefly before looking away.


    The tinted windows blocked the outside light, and Alex''s tone was cold. "So what?"


    Candice paused and said clearly, "You know better than anyone else that under the current


    circumstances, Aether''s best option is to cooperate with Burning Star."


    While she was in the hospital, Ang would sometimes send her messages, mostly about the


    discord between Hanley and Alex. The organizers and others seemed to be happy about it and


    were instigating more conflicts. Especially Quentin and Sonia. Almost every time there was a


    disagreement between Alex and Hanley, it was provoked by them.


    If it were at the beginning, Candice might not have paid extra attention to the Redshade tender. But


    Candice''s concern about the Redshade tender was not because of Sonia. It was because, no


    matter what, she had been in the business world for several years, and she could clearly see the


    situation. She knew that Redshade would be of great help to Burning Star''s future development.


    As for Aether, being in the same region of Dorrington, Aether would definitely be the best first


    choice.


    Her mind was filled with various thoughts, and her frown didn’t escape Alex''s eyes. He raised an


    eyebrow and sneered, "You''re already thinking about benefiting Burning Star as soon as you''re out


    of the hospital. I even suspect you already have a major stake in Burning Star."


    Candice looked up and said seriously, "You won''t lose out."


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    "Whether I lose out or not is not for you to define." Alex sounded weary. He nced at the


    document again, and casually flipped through a few pages, his tone indifferent. "Do you think Aether


    wouldn''t consider the benefits of the win-win cooperation that you''re talking about?"


    Candice looked at him, trying to find some ws in his expression, but there were none. Alex


    remained impassive.


    "Investing in this industry is just an experiment for me. If I withdraw, do you think it would have a big


    impact on Aether?"


    He was right. Aether was in finance, and the main focus would not be on this.


    After a moment of silence, Candice asked him. "Are you dissatisfied with Burning Star, or with me?"


    Alex''s character was such that even though he appeared careless and elegant in daily life, he never


    made arbitrary decisions when it came to serious matters. Considering how much he cared about


    Redshade before, Candice doubted he would be willing to withdraw.


    As luck would have it, they stopped at a red light. Alex''s gaze casually fell on Candice. She had not


    put on any makeup today, and her lips looked pale. But her fair skin made her especially radiant in


    the dim car.


    For convenience, Candice had tied her hair into a ponytail. Her beautiful eyes carried some


    inexplicable emotions as she waited for Alex''s answer.


    Alex paused, then handed the document back to Candice. He averted his gaze and clicked his


    tongue, indicating he did not want to talk anymore.


    Seeing this, Candice wanted to speak again, but she heard Alex''s deep voice. "Things are not as


    simple as you think."


    He did not finish his sentence, but Candice did not ask further. She felt that there were some things


    that were not clear, and she needed to speak to Hanley again.


    Apart from work-rted matters, Candice didn’t have much else to say to Alex. She nced out the


    window, calcting the way back to the hotel.


    However, just as they were about to reach the hotel''s corner, Sawyer suddenly answered a phone


    call. His expression became serious, and he nced at Alex through the rearview mirror. "It''s Ms.


    Ziegler from Mr. Kemp''s office. He wants to have dinner with you suddenly, saying he wants to


    discuss some contract matters."


    He sounded quite worried and nced at Candice unintentionally.


    After all, there was a bit of an unexpected situation on Mr. Kemp''s side, and to suddenly request a


    meeting to discuss a contract at this time probably did not bode well.


    Candice felt Sawyer''s gaze and looked back, her voice calm, "I can get off in front."


    Sawyer blurted out a little too quickly, "Your father is probably there too."


    Candice paused. Henry? She was momentarily distracted, remembering how Henry had interrupted


    the meeting between Alex and an important client before. She frowned and turned to look at Alex.


    There was a hint of impatience in Alex''s expression, but when his gaze met Candice''s, he quickly


    rxed it.


    His attitude remained unchanged as he instructed Sawyer. "Stop the car up ahead."


    Could he sense that something was wrong almost instantly?


    Before Sawyer could speak, Candice asked, "Is Henry causing trouble for you again?" She had


    already seen how shameless Henry could be, so she had no doubt he would take advantage of any


    opportunity to target Alex.


    However, Alex did not say anything. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and asked Candice, "Are you


    afraid I''ll take action against him?"


    "What exactly did Henry do?" Candice asked, confused.


    Alex''s deep ck eyes showed no concern. "Just some underhanded tactics."


    Candice closed her eyes, her grip tightening. "Is this affecting your business?"


    Sawyer nced at them through the rearview mirror. Seeing Alex looking out the window, seeming


    unwilling to say more, Sawyer cleared his throat and quietly exined the situation to Candice.


    "Henry is spreading rumors about Mr. Elysian in Sris, saying that he bullies men and women,


    mistreated his daughter, and tries to escape his responsibilities, stating that his character is terrible.


    The main issue is that Henry''s social circle seems quite extensive, and now these rumors have


    spread so widely that both Mr. Elysian and Aether''s reputations are not very good—"


    Sawyer did not finish his sentence, but Candice understood.


    Although the most important aspects of doing business were a person’s abilities and funds, a


    company with a severely damaged reputation that was being shunned by others would not be a


    preferred choice.


    Now Henry was destroying Alex''s reputation everywhere, and was even using her name to do it.


    She could imagine how disgusting Henry must look pretending to be a doting father to his daughter.


    Candice tightened her grip on her bag and asked Alex, "When did this start?"


    Alex seemed somewhat annoyed by Sawyer''s loose tongue. He gave Sawyer a warning look before


    turning his gaze to Candice''s face.


    After a moment of contemtion, he said, "Just after you were discharged. I''ll take you back to the


    hotel."


    "Do you think I don''t care about Henry''s actions?" Candice saw a hint of helplessness in Alex''s


    eyes. After a pause, she persisted. "He''s using my name to sell his own image everywhere. Why


    should I have to endure it and act like I don''t know anything?" She stared at Alex stubbornly. "I''ll go


    with you to see him."