CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: NO BUSINESS TALK

At present, it looks like the carefully maintained lie she’s been holding onto is about to be exposed.

"Ahem, Boss, since President Fairchild is here, I’ll leave you two be. I’ll head back to the cafeteria for lunch."

Irene Rowe saw that the situation wasn’t right and immediately indicated she would head out. After all, it’s not her place to interfere too much in matters between a husband and wife.

After Irene left, Seraphina Sinclair braced herself and walked over to Desmond Fairchild, offering a dry laugh.

"President Fairchild, what a coincidence."

Unfortunately, Desmond maintained a cold expression, showing no response to her warmth.

"Weren’t you at home recuperating?" Desmond’s indifferent voice followed.

Seraphina pouted: "Alright, alright, I’ve been caught. I just couldn’t stand being at home anymore and wanted to come to work."

Seraphina was quite aware of her own health condition; as long as her emotions calmed, there wouldn’t be any major issues.

"But you promised me you’d rest and recover properly at home." Disappointment tinged Desmond’s tone.

This made Seraphina feel uncomfortable as well.

She pressed her lips together and explained, "I’m in such a hurry to work mainly because I’m worried about the new product launch."

Since Seraphina returned to the country, many unforeseen events occurred, intricately intertwined, with the sole objective of disrupting her plans.

Seraphina wasn’t in the mood to ponder who might be the mastermind behind all this chaos; she only knew that if the product launch didn’t go out as planned, it would end up causing huge losses to Kevin and Cloudsea companies.

Looking at Seraphina’s serious demeanor, Desmond couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic, though he still maintained a stern face: "You don’t trust me with this matter?"

Seraphina sighed: "That’s not it. Since the Kevin Group is under my name, I need to manage it well. This company holds significant meaning for me; it’s another way for me to grow. I can’t live my whole life under your protection, can I?"

After hearing Seraphina’s words, Desmond eventually gave in, turning his face aside and finally relenting: "If you want to work, I won’t stop you. But if anything happens, make sure to call me immediately."

Hearing this, Seraphina felt warmth in her heart: "Got it, let’s not talk about this now. Let’s find a place to eat first."

During lunch with Desmond, Seraphina didn’t waste time, planning to seize the opportunity to finalize the launch date.

Once the dishes were served, Seraphina’s intentions became clear; she stared directly at Desmond and then spoke softly: "President Fairchild, how about we hold a little meeting over lunch?"

Hearing Seraphina’s words, Desmond paused in his actions.

Then, he put down his knife and fork, his voice low: "Honey, don’t talk about business matters while eating."

The word ’honey’ made Seraphina blush, her thoughts stirring, and she immediately stammered, "Who is your honey? Don’t call me that! "

"If you still want to work, listen quietly. Otherwise, our Cloudsea won’t cooperate, and the new product launch will still be delayed." Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"You’re outrageous!" Stunned by Desmond’s words, Seraphina reluctantly focused on eating.

After the meal, Desmond sent Seraphina back to the office, gave a few instructions, and then left, unexpectedly receiving a call from Austin White.

Even though their relationship had eased somewhat after the last conversation, Desmond still harbored suspicions about Austin’s identity.

"Desmond Fairchild, where are you?"

As soon as he picked up the phone, Austin’s slightly anxious voice came through.

"I’m at the Kevin Group. What’s up?"

"I have something I need to discuss with you in person. If you’re free, come to the Welsh Café, I’m waiting for you there."

"Alright."

Desmond instructed the driver to change direction and headed straight to the Welsh Café as Austin mentioned.

"What’s the matter?" Desmond’s tone remained cold.

"Desmond, I want to discuss a collaboration with you."

Austin didn’t beat around the bush, directly sharing his thoughts.

This time, Austin had sought Desmond with some ulterior motives.

Yesterday, while hacking the Lloyd Group’s computers, Austin discovered a lot of information on their computers, especially those of Ethan Lloyd and Melanie Lloyd, about the Cloudsea Group’s new product launch.

Austin could tell that Melanie and the others were investigating Desmond, but the Cloudsea Group was too vast for a single Lloyd Group to destabilize, so from where did they obtain this information?

"I’m curious, what kind of collaboration can you and I have?"

Upon hearing that Austin wanted to collaborate, Desmond was indeed surprised.

"As long as you want what’s best for my godmother, our cooperation can proceed smoothly."

Finishing his piece, Austin immediately handed over the prepared documents to Desmond, explaining, "Yesterday, when I hacked into the Lloyd’s computer, I found a lot of confidential information about the Cloudsea Group."

Hearing Austin’s words, Desmond was visibly unsettled, quickly taking the documents and reviewing them carefully.

The information Austin brought was mostly about the upcoming Cloudsea and Kevin Group’s autumn launch.

It seemed the Lloyds were indeed paying close attention to them.

But more shocking than that was Austin’s capability.

The Lloyd Group had stood firm for so many years, not without merit, yet Austin managed to hack their computers and extract crucial information.

Such a hacker was rare in all of Bayside City.

He had clearly underestimated Austin.

"Were you the one who hacked the Lloyd’s computer?"

The incident at the Lloyd Group yesterday was something Desmond was aware of, but it was unexpected to find out Austin was behind it. Putting the documents back on the table, Desmond asked seriously.

"What’s there to be surprised about? Even my kid could do something so simple." Austin frowned and continued, "Recently, the Lloyds have been acting brazenly, targeting my godmother multiple times. I can’t turn a blind eye to it. I plan to use this launch to crack down on those Lloyd bastards."

This is why Austin had to partner with Desmond for his plan to work.

Desmond’s attitude made a 180-degree shift; he knew Jude had some knowledge of hacking, but did Austin have to make it sound so simplistic?

Maybe this seemingly carefree man in front of him had many unspoken secrets, but what else could Seraphina be harboring?

"What do you need me to do?" As he spoke again, Desmond’s tone was unusually serious.

"It’s simple. Just make sure you save the file I sent you into the C drive on your computer a day in advance, and a good show will unfold."

When Austin hacked into the Lloyds’ computer, he discovered they had planted a trojan in Desmond’s computer. This was no ordinary virus; it’s likely the Lloyds spent a hefty sum on it.

Most frightening was how this trojan could discreetly steal all the files on Desmond’s C drive.

"But if I collaborate with you, what’s in it for me? There are a lot of files on my computer that I can’t just let anyone invade."

"The launch concerns both Cloudsea and Kevin realms. Collaborating with me will also make your future wife happy, isn’t that worth a shot?"