Chapter 6 Who Are You

Pauline couldn't understand how her grandfather's condition had suddenly deteriorated to the point that he had to be sent to the operating room. Just the previous morning, he had been talking to her as normal and had even advised her to stop working so hard.

Sitting in the taxi, she blankly looked at the skyscrapers passing by. Then, she turned to the driver with urgency in her eyes. "Could you please drive faster? I'm in a hurry." Upon hearing her words, the driver stepped on the gas. The sudden acceleration threw Pauline against the backrest, but she didn't care. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she felt like she would throw up from the anxiety.

She rushed to the operating room just in time to see Daniel walking out.

"How is my grandfather?" she asked in a teary voice.

Daniel took off his mask and, in an unprecedented tone of dejection, said, "The patient's condition is still not stable. We will know if he can survive by tonight. I suggest that you and all his other family members prepare for the worst."

"How did his condition suddenly deteriorate? Dr. Bai, please save my grandfather!" Pauline cried desperately, grabbing his hand.

"He received a sudden shock that he couldn't bear," Daniel explained, pushing Pauline's hand away. Then, he rushed to his next operation in a hurry.

Pauline turned away in despair only to see Peter and Tiffany standing at the side.

"What are you doing here? Did you say something to aggravate Grandpa's condition?" she asked angrily.

With a slight smile on his face, Peter casually answered, "It seems that you are not as stupid as I thought. Your grandpa always treated me well, so I would never do anything to hurt him. But Tiffany is really considerate, you know. She couldn't help but tell Grandpa about how much I suffered because his beloved granddaughter, my fiancee, slept with different men every day."

He turned and gave Tiffany a kiss on the cheek to thank her. Tiffany smiled and pushed him away. "You are so annoying," she said bashfully before turning to Pauline.

"Oh, right. I accidentally told Grandpa about the one million dollars you brought home yesterday. He asked me where you got the money, so I had no choice but to tell him the truth⁠—that it was your payment for sleeping with some men. I had no idea that he would pass out so easily." Tiffany pouted and shrugged.

"You bitch! He is your grandfather too. How could you do that?" In a fit of anger, Pauline rushed to Tiffany to hit her. However, Tiffany dodged, causing Pauline's slap to land on Peter's face.

Peter wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and raised his hand, intending to teach Pauline a lesson. However, his hand was caught in midair. He turned his head and saw Edmund, who stared at him with indifference.

"Why are you meddling in other people's business?" he asked sharply, shaking Edmund's hand away.

Edmund patted his hand, as if it was dirty after touching Peter, and then said in a low and arrogant voice, "Who are you? I'm not familiar with anyone whose status is lower than me, especially scumbags."

"You..." Peter was too enraged to speak. But suddenly, something occurred to him, and his lips curved up into a smug smile. He walked over and whispered in Edmund's ear, "You are just a loser. So, how was it? Was she good in bed?" After saying that, he patted Edmund on the shoulder as if they were good friends, and then left with Tiffany.

James, who had accompanied Edmund here, observed him and found that he looked as indifferent as usual. However, he knew that Edmund must be boiling with rage inside. Although Edmund was a man who didn't show his emotions, James could read him well. After all, he had been by his side for so many years.

Meanwhile, Pauline was so surprised by Edmund's appearance that she completely forgot about her encounter with Peter and Tiffany. She smiled brightly and said, "You came here to save my grandfather, didn't you?"

Edmund flashed her a cruel smile. "Miss Song, don't jump to silly conclusions. I just came here to find out whether your grandfather is still alive. Since he's doing fine, I'm leaving."

However, Pauline didn't so much as flinch at his ruthless words. Completely disregarding her dignity, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his thighs. "Edmund, please save my grandfather. He is my only family in the world. As long as you agree to save him, I'll give you anything in return."

Edmund pried her arms off and took a step back. "Miss Song, what can you possibly give me? As a businessman, I never do anything at a loss.

Perhaps do you want to sell your body to me?" he asked calmly. Pauline stayed silent for a few moments as if she was genuinely thinking it over. Before she could say anything, Edmund spoke again. "I advise you to give up this ridiculous idea as soon as possible. You might be shameless, but I'm not. I have a good reputation. If I sleep with a common whore, everyone in the business world will laugh at me!" After saying those cutting words, he walked away.

Pauline thought that her heart had become numb by now, but it turned out that it still hurt. As she looked at his receding back, tears fell on the back of her hands.

"Who is the family member of Charlie Song? Please come here and sign the critically ill notice." A nurse looked around the corridor impatiently.

Pauline lifelessly got up from the ground, took the pen from the nurse's hand, and signed her name.

On the way back to the company, James looked at Edmund through the rearview mirror and saw that he was taking a rest with his eyes closed.

He knew that Edmund was not asleep but just thinking about something. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "Edmund, should we still have Arthur follow Miss Song?"

Ever since he had joined the company, he had seldom called Edmund by name. Edmund immediately opened his eyes and met James' gaze in the rearview mirror. Although he didn't speak, the look in his eyes was enough for James to understand his answer. "I see," James said hurriedly. "I won't disturb you with this kind of question in the future."

Just when James thought that their conversation was over, Edmund's cold and deep voice broke the silence in the car. "Have him follow her."

Then, after a pause, Edmund asked, "How long have you been with me?"

"About seven or eight years," James answered, feeling puzzled.

"Then you should know what you should ask and what you shouldn't. Drive carefully."

James's heart sank, but Edmund didn't say anything else. He turned around and looked out of the window. The LED screen on the wall of a building was displaying the news that the MC Group had just signed a big contract.