Chapter 41 A Man’s Sense of Crisis
+25 BONUS
Chapter 41 A Man’s Sense of Crisis
Was there really a recorder?
Was she bluffing?
Her hands and feet had been tied–could she have really hidden acorder under the coffee table?
But she’d survived jumping into the sea…
Nick’s mind spun with possibilities.
As he weighed the risks and decided to bet it all, Candice suddenly gasped as if something had just occurred to her.
“Oh, right! My recorder is connected to the cloud–it automatically uploads every ten minutes. Is there a computer?”
Charlie immediately had someone bring a laptop.
Nick’s face turned ghostly pale.
His psychological defenses crumbled in an instant.
The laptop arrived quickly. Candice logged into her cloud account.
“There it is.”
She lifted her gaze, giving Nick a calm yet triumphant smile. Her finger hovered over the play button.
“Let’s hear it, shall we?”
“Don’t play it!!”
Nick lunged forward, snatching the laptop from behind and cradling it in his arms.
“Miss Hale, let’s talk this through, okay?”
Candice sneered.
“You tried to rape me. You wanted to keep me locked up for who knows how long. If I hadn’t jumped from the second floor into the sea, you think I’d still be sitting here alive?”
“You misunderstood me-”
“Cut the crap! If you’ve got nothing to hide, open the laptop and let everyone hear it!”
“Please, Miss Hale, I’ve got a family. I’ll kneel and apologize to you. Just let me go this once, okay?”
“Let you go? Did you ever think about letting me go? I’m my parents‘ only daughter. If they knew I was nearly violated by a disgusting, shameless old pervert like you, how devastated do you think they’d be?”
Her voice rose with fury. She signaled for someone to grab the laptop from him.
She clearly wasn’t about to let this go.
Nick was cornered. Clutching the laptop like a lifeline, he shouted,
“I was trying to save you! I–I admit, I said some inappropriate things, but it was just a joke! Please, forgive me, I wasn’t thinking straight!”
“Go to hell, you disgusting piece of trash! Forgive you? Sure–cut your balls off right now and show me, turn yourself into a eunuch, and maybe then I’ll consider it!”
“Candice! Don’t go too far! It’s not like anything actually happened between us! I just happened to be there and said a few off- color things while trying to help–big deal! Since when is joking a crime?”
Chapter 41 A Man’s Sensered Crisis
“You call groping my leg a joke?”
“I was checking if you were hurt!”
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The two fired verbal shots back and forth.
Just as everyone began to realize that Miss Hale could be quite fiery when provoked, they also suddenly registered something chilling-
Zack had basically confessed.
He’d admitted to being at the house–and to what he had done.
Disgust filled the eyes of everyone watching.
Jessica was completely stunned.
She hadn’t expected Candice’s accusations to be entirely true.
On the other end of the phone, Denny let out a cold snort. His voice deep and commanding, rang through the speaker.
“Seems the truth is crystal clear. Charlie, handle this properly–call the police if needed. Punish those who deserve it. Don’t show mercy.”
The Chairman had spoken. Everything was settled.
Nick collapsed to the floor in a heap.
Denny added,
“Miss Hale, you’re very brave.”
There was admiration in his tone. He knew–Candice never left the recorder behind. She had been bluffing.
But she had played her cards brilliantly, exploiting her opponent’s fear and outwitting him step by step.
Courageous, strategic, composed. A true talent.
“Thank you for the compliment, Chairman.” Candice replied with calm dignity.
“Miss Hale, welcome to Regalis Group.”
With that, the call ended.
Whoa.
The Chairman himself had just welcomed her onboard. That was a little overwhelming…
Candice felt a surge of excitement, her head spinning slightly.
And then spinning more.
Her body suddenly felt light and weightless. The room, the voices around her—all began to fade into a distant blur.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie leaned down and lightly patted her cheek
Thud-
Her head slumped forward, crashing toward the table.
Charlie reacted instantly, catching her head in his hand before it hit the surface.
He froze for a moment, then gently lifted her face–only to realize she had passed out.
2/4
Chapter 41 A Mary’s Sense & Crisis
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Candice had been severely weakened from the start, running on sheer willpower. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, her body could no longer hold up
With her eyes closed, she felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace the familiar scent of cedarwood comforted her, making her want to cry.
She longed to stay there, to shed her armor, and be nothing more than a helpless girl.
But then-
A voice she knew all too well, one that pierced her like a dagger, rang in her ears.
“Candice, sweetheart…”
Kyle?
No. No. It’s a hallucination. Definitely a hallucination.
A terrifying… hallucination.
3:00 AM.
The finest private hospital in Singapore.
The patient suite was as luxurious as a five–star hotel.
Candice lay on the hospital bed, asleep, hooked up to an IV.
Five meters away, on a set of beige sofas, Charlie and Kyle each occupied a seat.
Jessica sat curled up in a single armchair behind Charlie, dazed one moment, lovestruck the next as she stared blankly ahead.
Jerry couldn’t handle the tension in the room–he’d made up an excuse to flee.
It had been a night of utter chaos.
Word had it: Miss Hale fainted. The CEO carried her out. Ms. Barnes chased behind. In the hallway, they ran into Kyle, who had rushed back just in time—and the moment he saw his wife in Charlie’s arms, he tried to snatch her away on the spot.
The scene? Straight out of a Thai melodrama.
“Candice was just trying to get under my skin. That’s why she applied to your company. I’ve already helped her quit.”
Kyle was the first to speak, cold and condescending.
“I’m not concerned about her personal matters,” Charlie replied politely, his tone cool and distant.
“She’s free to resign–but she needs to tell me herself.”
In other words: You don’t get to decide for her.
With that, Charlie crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and leaned back as if to nap.
Kyle was furious.
He glared at Charlie, radiating hostility.
What had set him off most was that when he had pulled Candice from Charlie’s arms earlier–she had clung tightly to Charlie’s clothes and wouldn’t let go.
That moment triggered a crisis so intense, he nearly dragged her back to Vanclyn right then and there and locked her away.
3/4
The wouldn’t normally care about some random gin
Thit this was Charlie
And that made all the difference.
He was determined he would keep her away from Charlie at all
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7 00 AM
Candice woke up
Morning sunlight spilled through the floor–to–ceiling windows, pure and brilliant, washing away all the night’s darkness.
She turned her head-
“Candice, you’re awake!”
Candice’s eyes widened in horror as she saw Kyle standing up from the sofa, rushing toward her.
Maybe the world should just burn.
Kyle, clueless to her inner despair, reached the bedside and leaned in to touch her forehead.
Candice, still groggy, tried to dodge but was a second too slow.
The hand pressing against her forehead made her skin crawl.
This was the hand that had touched Mia Jones.
Disgusting. Worse than touching literal filth.
“What are you doing here? The divorce papers have already been sent to you.”
Her voice was cold as she pushed his hand away.
