Chapter 291 Nobody’s Getting Away
It wasn’t the first time that James wanted to acquire the Hunter Group. Ever since he became the president of Sunhill Enterprise, he had been constantly thinking about this.
Since he was a kid, he had been rivals with Alexander and had always wanted to defeat him. For the past three years, although James endured a lot of humiliation just to make a comeback, he couldn’t help but admire Alexander’s capabilities. The core of Sunhill Enterprise’s culture was essentially due to Alexander’s achievements, so if he really wanted his roots in the company, there was still a long way to go.
This was why the acquisition of an up-and-coming middle-sized enterprise could be an important springboard for his career.
One of the reasons he had his eyes on the Hunter Group was because Alexander was working for them. Another reason was because there had not been a worthy successor ever since Lucian’s death. James did not believe that Courtney alone could bring the company back to life.
“President Duncan, the location and the time for tonight’s dinner has been set. It’ll start at seven.” The secretary with a nice figure spoke in a sweet voice as she stood next to James’ desk.
At the moment, James was relaxed in his chair while his right hand turned the wedding ring on his left. The corners of his eyes tilted and a gentle yet menacing smile appeared on his face.
“Also, I’ve informed Miss Price about it. She said that she’ll be there tonight.”
James nodded his head in satisfaction. “Good.”
Tonight’s dinner was hosted by Mr. Vinsmoke of the Sakura Group.
Alexander was called back to the Duncans’ ancestral home by Scott, so Courtney attended the dinner alone.
“Long time no see, President Hunter. You’ve become even more beautiful.” Listening to Mr. Vinsmoke’s polite remarks, Courtney nodded her head in response. From the corner of her eye, she saw two familiar figures sitting in the private room. “To make things more lively, President Duncan also brought a friend along. You don’t mind that, do you?”
“Of course not. After all, we are all friends.” Courtney smiled faintly as she looked at the ‘friend’. “President Duncan really is popular; even the famous Miss Price is willing to accompany him here.”
Suddenly, Britney’s expression changed slightly but she regained her composure quickly. “President Hunter, if you are still discontented with me because of the past, then I’ll just leave so as to avoid everyone from feeling uneasy during the meal,” she murmured.
“What’s going on? President Hunter, have you met Miss Price before?” Mr. Vinsmoke seemed lost.
Courtney smiled. “We know each other, but not that well. I don’t quite understand what Miss Price is referring to. There has been so much going on that I can’t really remember things that happened in the past.”
Anyone knew what words to say at this sort of occasion but deep inside, it was a whole other story.
Everyone in the same circle knew that James and Britney’s relationship was not ordinary but because James had a wife, everyone was being subtle about it. However, Courtney was surprised to see that James would bring Britney out for a meal so openly without fearing that it would backfire on him.
Besides James, there were also representatives from the Sakura Group and the Hunter Group. On the surface, they were here as a premature celebration of their collaboration but the truth was, Mr. Vinsmoke was obviously introducing them to James.
Even after a few rounds of wine, no one mentioned the acquisition. Alexander called, so Courtney went to the washroom as an excuse to avoid drinking more alcohol.
Everyone teased her, especially Mr. Vinsmoke. “Is it from Young Master Alexander? I can see that something good is headed your way, President Hunter. I assume that we’ll all be receiving an invitation very soon, yes?”
Courtney smiled as she walked away. “Of course.”
The moment she answered the call in the washroom, Alexander’s voice came from the other end. “Did they trouble you?”
“No; they don’t dare to. I’m not some junior salesperson out to talk business.” Courtney leaned on the side of the wash basin. “James brought someone along with him though. Can you guess who it is?”
“Who?”
“Your old partner,” Courtney deliberately said, a sly look on her face.
There was silence on the other end. “Who?”
“How many old partners do you have? Who else can it be?” Failing to tease him, Courtney felt angry instead. “It’s Britney. They came here openly while holding hands. Is this how you men behave after getting married, having one woman at home and another outside?”
“Is that so?” Alexander seemed a little confused. “Most seem to have more than one outside.”
Suddenly, Courtney’s voice deepened. “What?”
There was laughter on the other end. “I, on the other hand, only have one.”
His words finally extinguished the tiny rage that was burning inside her. Just as they were chatting, she could hear footsteps coming from outside.
“I can’t talk to you right now. I think someone is coming. We can talk later on once I get home.”
“Alright. Tonight, I’ll come pick—”
Before he could utter the word ‘you’, Courtney hung up the phone.
The footsteps coming from outside was the crisp sound of high heels clacking on the floor. Courtney lifted her head while washing her hands and she could see a familiar figure behind her.
The reason Courtney was familiar with this woman was because she constantly followed Alexander everywhere in the past and recently, she was always seen at cocktail parties.
As a celebrity in the entertainment industry, she must have had a really broad network for her to have such a good relationship with these elite talents, which explained why she was able to attend this many business parties.
The moment their eyes met through the mirror, Courtney smiled faintly while nodding her head slightly in greeting. Then, she minded her own business and took a piece of tissue paper to wipe her hands.
“You don’t seem happy to see me.” Britney’s voice that came from behind her seemed a bit bitter.
Courtney turned around and threw the tissue paper into the trash can. “There’s nothing to be unhappy about. You are not that important to me.”
Britney chuckled as she lowered her head to look at her bright red nails.
Courtney had already taken a step and was planning to leave but the moment she heard Britney’s laughter, she turned around and frowned. “What are you laughing at?”
“Looks like it has come full circle.”
“What do you mean?”
“Stop asking the obvious. Do you really want me to make myself clear?” Britney’s eyes darkened. “Did you realize that ever since you and Alexander were together, his life has been going downhill? When you first approached him with purpose, you didn’t expect all of this to happen, right?”
Courtney could understand the sarcasm in Britney’s words but she was confused by the meaning of the phrase ‘with purpose’. Hence, Courtney simply assumed that Britney was flaunting herself after climbing the social ladder.
“No one is certain how this will end, so don’t speak too early,” Courtney commented. “You think that you achieved all of this fairly? You are only using others to get what you want.” She glanced at Britney coldly, not bothering to hide the disdain in her eyes.
When Britney pursued Alexander back then, she didn’t think that she was doing anything wrong, but being someone else’s mistress was downright unethical.
“What right do you have to say that I…” Britney’s expression darkened. “If it weren’t for you, Alexander and I would have been married long ago and I could have become the official Mrs. Duncan.”
However, Courtney wasn’t in the mood to explain things to Britney, so she left the washroom straight away.
When I confirmed my relationship with Alexander, the two of them had already broken up.
Then, a sharp voice was heard from behind. “Just you wait and see—what you owe me, I’ll take it all back one way or another. Nobody’s getting off the hook so easily.”
