Chairman Prescott and Assistant Rhodes both froze in shock.
For a moment, Assistant Rhodes thought Warren Prescott would propose conditions like having the chairman step down, akin to a coup in an old costume drama.
But it turned out...
He shouldn’t have watched those primetime dramas with his wife.
Chairman Prescott was the first to recover, his sharp black eyes narrowing, projecting an intense aura of pressure.
Yet the other party seemed completely unaffected.
Chairman Prescott sighed.
"Have you fallen for her?"
Warren Prescott chuckled nonchalantly, "Do I even deserve that?"
"..."
Even Anne Sinclair on the sofa looked up in surprise, her eyes wide and red.
What kind of person must it be to make the Prescott Group’s Crown Prince feel undeserving?
"Don’t worry about things that don’t concern you. Just answer: do you agree to this condition?" Warren Prescott said impatiently.
Chairman Prescott took a deep breath and said, "I don’t get what young people think these days, but you must know, if this leaks out, our stock will inevitably experience turmoil."
"So?"
Warren Prescott’s indifferent demeanor left Chairman Prescott feeling uncertain.
His instincts told him Warren Prescott could truly pull this off.
He had no choice but to compromise.
"Alright."
Having received the answer, Warren Prescott turned to leave, not giving those present a second glance.
What happened in the office afterward, Warren Prescott neither knew nor cared to know.
He only knew that Ashley Shaw was no longer entangled in his issues.
...
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
A bombshell news item swept across major online platforms and print media.
Everyone from streets and alleys was talking about the same thing.
"Did you hear? Owen Sinclair’s wife cheated on him with his manager, and they even illegally seized a lot of his assets."
"Saw the news this morning. Tsk tsk, what was Owen Sinclair’s wife thinking, ditching her handsome and wealthy celebrity husband for something sketchy."
"Owen Sinclair is my mom’s idol. If she finds out, she’d definitely go after that woman."
"I heard they didn’t come together for love; their parents forced the marriage."
"What? There’s more to it?"
"Yeah, a friend of mine in the industry working as a makeup artist said Owen Sinclair had a great girlfriend, but they were forcibly separated. And supposedly, his girlfriend was already pregnant and was forced to have an abortion."
"This industry is so chaotic!"
"Owen Sinclair has always been quite decent; even though he doesn’t love his wife, there haven’t been any rumors about him post-marriage."
"Just goes to show his wife’s blind!"
As they chatted, they placed several snack packs on the checkout counter.
"How much?"
Ashley Shaw scanned the snacks’ barcodes one by one.
"Twenty-two."
They paid and left one after the other.
Ashley Shaw, finding a moment, opened her phone and saw the news about the famous actor’s affair.
Attorney Coleman acted even faster than she anticipated.
At that moment, Ashley Shaw’s phone rang.
It was Shane Coleman calling.
Ashley Shaw pressed the answer button and heard a voice both familiar and strange.
"Is this Shaw? I’m Owen Sinclair."
"...Hello."
"Would you be able to come to the law office? I’d like to thank you personally."
Before Ashley Shaw could refuse, the caller added, "Attorney Coleman also wants to discuss your friend’s case."
The refusal changed to agreement:
"Alright."
As the call ended, the store manager came in from outside.
Behind her was an aunt at least two generations older than Ashley Shaw.
"Ashley, I’ve found someone to replace you for work. Let me settle your wages for these days."
Just last night, Ashley Shaw had handed in her resignation.
Among Warren Prescott’s words a couple of days ago, one was indeed true.
If working part-time is just for earning money, might as well find one that pays more.
But she really didn’t want any more ties with Warren Prescott, so she chose to contact Cillian Xavier.
Cillian Xavier said once she resigns, she could immediately start working at his sister’s store.
Thus, the manager quickly found someone to fill her position.
"You don’t need to pay me. I’ve caused you much trouble these days, I’m truly sorry."
Having only worked for less than six days and then suddenly leaving, she felt uneasy accepting the money.
"How could that be? You haven’t caused me any trouble. If you refuse your wages, I won’t let you go."
The store manager wouldn’t back down, so Ashley Shaw had no choice but to accept the money.
Totaling 344, the store manager gave her 350 for good luck.
Ashley Shaw accepted the money with a sincere bow: "Thank you for your care these days. I’m leaving now, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
The store manager’s eyes strangely glistened with moisture.
She was a hard-working and dependable girl. While others slacked off and played with their phones when there were no shoppers, she rarely used her phone and even helped organize the store’s inventory.
Such a messy warehouse had become well-organized under her care.
If she wasn’t a soon-to-be university student, backed by The Prescott Group, he truly wanted to keep her on.
"I wish you success in your studies. You’ll get a discount whenever you shop here."
"Thank you."
Ashley Shaw smiled faintly and headed to the bus stop under the scorching sun after completing her tasks.
Half an hour later, she stepped through the gates of Shane Coleman’s law office.
The air conditioning inside was on high, giving Ashley Shaw a sudden chill.
"Shaw, over here."
Shane Coleman’s assistant waved to her, smiling brightly: "Did you see the news online?"
Ashley Shaw nodded.
The assistant’s smile grew even wider.
"Thanks to you, we managed to handle such a tricky situation so quickly."
Ashley Shaw didn’t respond, knowing well she didn’t do much, just took advantage of a chance to gather more information.
Even without her, Shane Coleman would have uncovered Owen Sinclair’s wife’s issues.
Being led by the assistant into the office, Ashley Shaw saw Owen Sinclair chatting with Shane Coleman on the sofa.
Though Owen Sinclair was in his advanced years, perhaps due to his work in the film industry, he hardly looked his age.
About to enter his fifties this year, he appeared merely in his thirties.
He was only a bit thin, likely due to controlling his appearance for the camera.
Ashley Shaw also found it perplexing—why would his wife stray from such a handsome and wealthy celebrity husband for a ’sketchy’ affair?
"Are you Shaw?" Owen Sinclair stood first, extending his hand in greeting.
Meeting the celebrity in person for the first time made Ashley Shaw a bit self-conscious, lowering her head and shaking his hand without saying much.
Shane Coleman chuckled, playfully nudging her to lighten the mood: "You’re quite the chatterbox with me. Why so quiet meeting a celebrity? Too nervous to even look up."
Ashley Shaw laughed awkwardly, "A little bit."
Owen Sinclair followed with a smile.
"No need to be nervous. I don’t bite."
With that, he straightforwardly presented a check.
"Attorney Coleman informed me. Thanks to you, here’s your compensation, and please do accept it."
As the last words fell, he noticed the girl raising her head.