Chapter 229
Chapter 229
The next morning, Brian had arranged for the housekeeper and driver to escort Ariana back to the Lodge
residence while he headed to the office for a meeting
Despite sitting through the meeting, his mind was elsewhere, replaying the scene of Ariana lying in bed the night
before, deliberately cursing him in her sleep. The realization that she had been faking it amused him, and
unconsciously, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The room fell silent as everyone in the meeting stared at him in shock. What was wrong with Brian?
“Ahem!” Emily coughed twice, subtly reminding Brian to maintain his composure. Noticing the eyes on him, Brian
quickly composed himself. He straightened and said coldly, “Alright. Proceed with negotiations with this
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtproposal.”
“Mr. Lodge, there's one more thing.” A department manager spoke up. “We've started excavation on the land at
South Gleaston. Just yesterday, we received news that a natural spring was discovered there.
“This conflicts with our planned hot spring resort project for the second half of the year. | propose we
immediately acquire that land to prevent potential competition and to integrate it into our expansion plans for
the resort.”
Brian had been only half-listening until the mention of South Gleaston. The location sounded familiar.
Emily immediately realized the connection and said, “Mr. Lodge, isn’t South Gleaston the plot that Ms. Torrey...”
Hearing Ariana’s name, Brian immediately recalled the auction where Ariana had spent five billion dollars to
acquire that very piece of land. His expression darkened as he stood up.
The room fell into stunned silence.
“Home. Now,” he snapped.
“Yes, Mr. Lodge,” Emily replied, as she gathered the documents and followed him out of the room, leaving the
other executives exchanging puzzled looks.
What's been going on with Brian lately?
Brian's strides were so swift that Emily struggled to keep up. As soon as he got into the car, he ordered curtly,”
Pull up all the information on that land in South Gleaston!”
“Yes, Mr. Lodge,” Emily replied while driving and multitasking on her phone. She sent out an urgent message to
the project team, causing a flurry of activity back at the office as employees scrambled to compile the requested
documents.
Within minutes, the information was sent to Brian's phone, just as the car pulled up to the Lodge residence. At
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmthe gate, the housekeeper at the front door froze upon seeing Brian return. Why was Brian back so early?
“Where is Ariana?” Brian asked.
“Ms. Torrey is resting in her room, as per your instructions. She’s been taking good care of herself.” Before the
housekeeper could finish, Brian was already striding upstairs.
Upstairs, in her bedroom, Ariana was reviewing and finalizing development contracts for the South Gleaston
project on her phone. Just as she tapped the screen to sign and submit the document, her door burst open.
Ariana looked up to find Brian standing there, his expression story. Feigning innocence, she asked, “Mr. Lodge,
12
Chapter 229
why are you hso early today?”
“Cut the act, Ariana!”
Brian strode toward her, slapping his phone down in front of Ariana. “The government is pushing for
development in the suburbs. Did you know about this beforehand?”