Chapter 4 Desperate Measures

I wasn't aware of the injury to my left leg earlier, but now it was bleeding profusely, staining my silk stockings.

I had no choice but to remove the silk stockings and apply pressure to my leg with tissues. Despite changing the tissues more than ten times, the bleeding persisted.

Feeling dizzy once again, my patience waned. I located some medicine and took a pill before dialing Elin's number.

"Kaitlin!" Elin's voice sounded excited. "Did Vincent agree?"

"I haven't spoken with him yet. Elin, I need to ask you something else."

Elin's enthusiasm faded, and she impatiently asked, "What's the matter?"

"If, hypothetically, Vincent agreed to invest in our company but I passed away... what would you think?"

There was a prolonged silence from Elin.

I counted in my mind.

One, two, three...

After eight seconds, Elin finally replied, "Kaitlin, do you understand the implications of the Bailey Group going bankrupt?"

I remained silent.

"It means all the employees will lose their jobs overnight. Each of them has loans for an apartment or a car. Their children need to go to school, and the elderly in their families need medical care! But they will lose their source of income in one night! And someone must be held accountable for this," Elin said solemnly.

After a brief pause, she added, "The one who took responsibility last time was Alec Harvey. You must remember that, as he happened to fall next to you at that moment."

Hearing this, I struggled to keep my voice collected. "I understand."

"Don't worry," Elin said, calming down a bit. "I just hope you can do your best. Don't mention death. Try to persuade Vincent. Didn't he love you deeply? Have you given your best effort?"

"I..."

"Of course, I can guess what's on your mind. Five hundred million is just a small amount of money. But you'll use it for the Bailey family, not the Roberts family. Don't worry. You don't have a stake in the Bailey Group. It's not your place to take drastic measures. Senior executives like me will be in the forefront."

"I didn't mean..."

"It's good you didn't mean it," Elin interrupted. "Kaitlin, it's the Bailey Group that has facilitated your relationship with Vincent and your current lifestyle. You should consider that. Without the Bailey Group, how could you maintain Vincent's affection for you?"

As I emerged from the restroom, the secretary at the door held out the phone with a charming smile. "Okay, Mr. Roberts, I'll make sure to remember that."

After she hung up the phone, the secretary smiled at me and asked, "Mrs. Roberts, do you need someone to drive you back?"

"No, thank you. I'd like to go in and speak with him a bit more."

"Mr. Roberts is not in the office," the secretary replied, looking embarrassed. "Mrs. Roberts, if there's anything, it might be better to discuss it with him at home."

"Where is he?" I asked.

"It's not appropriate for me to say," she hesitated.

"In that case, I'll search every room until I find him," I declared firmly.

"Well..." The secretary looked taken aback by my determination. "He's in a meeting. It usually lasts at least three hours. Perhaps you should head to the hospital now."

"Thank you."

I knew the meeting room was on the sixteenth floor.

On the sixteenth floor, the corridor was quiet, with only various meeting rooms lining the floor.

I located the largest one, approached the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

Vincent's assistant, Caelan Dawson, was the one who opened the door.

Seeing me, Caelan was visibly startled and whispered, "What are you doing here? You need to leave quickly..."