Chapter 51: I'll Offer You a Candy

"Why on earth?"

Vivian Hale lifted her head with a trace of dissatisfaction, assuming he was intentionally keeping a secret to dangle her along.

Silas Vance pointed a finger toward himself, his mood exceptionally excellent, "If you appreciate it, I can prepare it for your benefit at any given time."

Vivian was left somewhat dumbfounded.

Did this person truly possess such a domestic side?

"So those previous times were all executed by you?" she pressed right after.

She had initially assumed that every single meal had been ordered by him from a hotel.

Silas didn't answer directly, countering with a question instead: "Is Miss Hale fairly satisfied?"

Vivian: "..."

Where this culinary technique was concerned, she truly couldn't unearth even a single fraction of a problem.

But preparing delicious food wasn't one of the reasons for her to agree to his pursuit, was it?

She silently lowered her head to consume her meal, failing to offer an answer.

Silas didn't mind either, his gaze scanning a full circle within the room before inquiring further, "Is there anything you appreciate inside this room? Whatever you desire, you can take it back with you."

Vivian’s movements paused.

A brief moment later, she spoke tranquil words: "I possess nothing I desire."

"You don't appreciate the paintings hanging on the wall?"

The gaze in Silas's eyes was profoundly deep, his words carrying a heavy implication: "I feel her artwork carries a highly profound artistic conception. What it depicts is the metamorphosis of a woman—having experienced a stretch of setbacks, she ultimately relies on her own efforts to transform, breaking free from her cocoon to become a butterfly, before sprinting toward the light that belongs to her."

Vivian comprehended exactly what he was hinting at, yet her face remained entirely unmoved.

"The painting is executed quite well. Too bad I don't harbor much of an interest; leave it for your own appreciation! I am finished eating."

With that, she rose her body, intending to step outside.

To her surprise, the exact millisecond she spun around, she was caught by her hand and dragged straight into the man's embrace, his arms encircling her waist.

A tranquil, cool embrace accompanied by the subtle scent of cedar wood rushed over.

Vivian knit her brows, just preparing to utter a few words, when Silas spread his palm open right before her from behind.

A piece of strawberry candy wrapped in red paper rested quietly within his massive palm.

The man's head rested against her shoulder, his voice hoarse, his warm breath splashing against her ear.

"This happens to be precisely what I desired to give you. Although a full twenty years have already drifted by, are you still willing to accept it?"

The absolute tip of Vivian’s heart suffered a violent tremble.

Beneath the shaded trees on that summer afternoon all those years ago, the little boy's bright, expectant gaze rushed into her mind once more.

That had been the absolute last time they met.

Her heart felt as though it was being firmly gripped by a warm hand—sour, swelling, yet carrying a type of softness that was on the verge of pain.

That was an indescribable wave of melancholy.

But it was already far too late now.

Vivian rapidly recovered her composure, "Thank you, but I no longer appreciate eating candy."

The man fell silent for a temporary pocket of time, rapidly reclaiming his past calmness: "...It doesn't matter. Whenever you possess a desire to eat it, you can ask me for it at any given time."

Witnessing this, Vivian refrained from saying anything further, giving him a firm push, "Rise, I need to return to my workstation to execute my duties."

Silas released his grip nonetheless.

"The documentation for participating in the bidding conference—I'll have Jonathan deliver it over in a bit."

Vivian nodded her head, emerging from the lounge and surreptitiously returning to her own office.

Very quickly, Jonathan stood waiting outside clutching the files.

"This constitutes the documentation for the bidding conference. Director Hale, please review it first."

His attitude appeared considerably more courteous than it had in the past.

Vivian exerted an effort to prevent herself from overthinking, offering a word of thanks before opening the files to inspect them.

Having reviewed them for approximately a quarter of an hour, she already possessed a solid grasp of the information. After all, the technical aspect belonged strictly to her professional domain, so she remained fairly adept at it, self-assured that she could handle it.

"I have finished reviewing it. Are we heading over to converge with Lucas right now?"

Jonathan nodded his head, "Correct. I will escort you down to the parking garage right now."

The two emerged from the office together, arriving at the parking garage.

Vivian very quickly recognized that low-profile yet luxurious Maybach parked not far away.

"I can head over by myself. You may return first!"

Jonathan accepted the instruction and departed.

Vivian stepped onto her high heels to walk over.

Only, just as she was on the verge of closing the distance, she accidentally knocked against a parking barrier on one side, her footing faltering as she was on the absolute verge of falling over.

Her heart suffered a sudden shock, and she subconsciously supported her abdomen.

Right at this critical millisecond, the car door ahead was thrown open. Swift hands and a sharp eye—Silas bolted forward with a sudden stride, extending a hand to catch her by her arm to stabilize her form.

Under the shocked gaze of the driver ahead, Silas clamped his arm firmly around her waist, knitting his brows to inquire: "How could you be this careless? Are you alright?"

Vivian also suffered a tiny shred of lingering fear.

Fortunately, she was perfectly fine.

Just as she was preparing to state that nothing was amiss, she noticed the line of vision from the driver ahead.

She instantly altered her words, her cadence filled to the brim with perfunctory politeness.

"Thank you, Boss. I am perfectly fine, you can release your grip on me now."

She directed a warning glance toward the man, as though offering him an absolute reminder.

Silas let out a helpless smile.

Even at a time like this, she still cared about these details.

Nonetheless, he cooperatively released his grip, watching her step into the car before seating himself within the cabin as well.

"Alright, drive."

A trace of a smile still lingered within his gaze, his tone considerably superior to his past freezing coldness.

Vivian consistently felt that she remained entirely unable to see through this person's thoughts.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the venue of the bidding conference.

Silas had initially intended to march inside together with her, yet he abruptly accepted a business phone call.

"Head inside to secure a seat first. I will materialize in a brief moment."

Vivian nodded her head. Watching him depart, she was just planning to head inside by herself, when right at this exact moment, a familiar silhouette materialized within her field of vision.

"Vivian Hale, why on earth are you here?"

Adrian Cross's brows were tightly knit, his expression exceptionally complex, heavily laced with a few fractions of intense humiliation.

He still remembered the absolute mockery from the last time.

Vivian cast a single glance at him.

Her cadence was entirely indifferent: "Does where I choose to materialize require an absolute report to your face?"

Conversely, beside his form, a middle-aged man carrying a face full of majesty opened his mouth with a freezing front to deliver a harsh reprimand.

"This is simply a complete farce! What sort of an attitude is this? Is this the attitude one ought to display toward a husband? Furthermore, an occasion of this magnitude is far from a place where a common woman like you ought to materialize. Return at once."

This man was none other than Gabriel Cross.

He had actually returned to the country. Was it because he knew his own son had botched the company completely, so he returned to bail his son out?

But judging from his appearance, he bound to be entirely unaware of the fact that they had already divorced, right?

Otherwise, how could he possibly display the absolute front of a father-in-law, his tone carrying unmitigated contempt.

Vivian found it farcical to the absolute limit, opening her mouth as she prepared to speak.

Witnessing this, Adrian hurriedly took a step forward, clamping his grip onto Vivian’s arm, lowering his voice to deliver a sharp warning.

"I haven't even settled scores with you over the previous matters yet. Alright, Vivian, I know the words you uttered previously were merely spoken out of spite, and I will forgive you first. But I possess critical tasks here today, so stop causing a chaotic mess for my benefit, otherwise don't blame me for failing to cherish the affection we shared previously."

He hadn't dared to mention to his father the absolute fact that he had been calculated against to a point of departing completely empty-handed.

He felt it was an immense embarrassment.

He was also terrified that Vivian would utter a few words that would cause his father to deeply question his capability, so he could only deploy a suppression.

Vivian was virtually driven to a laugh from absolute fury, "Are you completely out of your mind? Exactly what shred of affection exists between us?"

The volume of her voice was remarkably massive, and Gabriel hadn't anticipated that she would act this aggressively arrogant.

He instantly cast a freezing glance toward his son, speaking with unmitigated dissatisfaction.

"How on earth do you typically discipline her at home? Our Cross family uniquely lacks a woman who is this disobedient! If you fail to manage her, return home and deploy the family rod to discipline her!"