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Chapter 493
Even though they came to a decision, Leanna couldn't just head over to Crossley Group abruptly,
especially since she didn't know what was going on within the company itself. Aidan had the same
concerns, so he quickly got Jonathan to deliver some files over. She felt her head throbbing just at the
sight of the thick files.
"Jonathan will brief you about the situation, and you can ask me if you have any questions," Aidan
offered.
"Okay." Crossley Group's core issues were mostly the ones that she had known. However, Jonathan
gave her a detailed breakdown of the main projects that were affected, the people in charge of these
projects, the companies they had partnered with, and the overall progress of the projects. Furthermore,
he also told her about the severity of the state of debt that the Crossley Group was in.
Though, he only managed to find an approximation of the debt they had—he couldn't get the exact
value just yet. After he completed his report, he gave Aidan and Leanna a nod before heading out of
the office. Aidan sat in front of the desk as he started to work on the files that were placed before him.
Meanwhile, Leanna sat on the couch as she skimmed through the files that Jonathan had just passed
to her.
Whenever she got to a part she didn't understand, she highlighted them so that she could ask Aidan
about them later that night. They were both immersed in their work, and it was way past midnight by
the time Aidan looked up from his desk. At that point, Leanna had already fallen asleep on the armrest
of the couch, with the documents still in her hands. He strode over before gently removing the files from
her hands and placing them on the coffee table. Then, he took off his coat and put it over her.
Leanna seems really tired. She doesn't look like she's about to wake up anytime soon, he thought as
he knelt beside her. His gaze was loving and gentle as he tucked a few strands of her hair behind her
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtear.
…
The sun was out by the time Leanna next opened her eyes. She rubbed the back of her hand against
her eyes as she got up. The coat that had been placed over her slid down the couch, so she picked it
up before looking around the office in search of Aidan. When she couldn't see him anywhere, she let
out a yawn before checking the time on her phone—it was 9.30AM. She hadn't expected herself to
sleep for so long.
She figured she should head home to take a shower and get changed. She left Aidan's coat on the
couch and was just about to leave the office when someone knocked and opened the door. Jonathan
came in with a bag. "President Pearson ordered someone to send this over, Miss McKinney." She took
one glance into the bag to see her clothes inside.
"There's a lounge and shower area at the back of President Pearson's office. You can use that space,"
he continued. Leanna nearly forgot to ask about this, so she was glad that Jonathan had brought it up.
"Got it. Thank you," she uttered with a nod. After he left, she headed to the lounge area. She felt a lot
more refreshed after she took a shower. By the time she stepped out in her new change of clothes,
Aidan was already back in the office.
"Did you have something to do earlier in the morning?" she asked.
He sank into the couch as he nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's just some tiny issue. It's
no big deal." He paused for a moment before looking at her. "Are you heading to the studio?"
"Yeah. I think I'll only go to Crossley Group tomorrow," she answered. For some reason, she had a
feeling that Jimmy and Raymond were still going to approach her that day. "Okay," he replied.
After a moment of hesitation, Leanna asked, "Are you going home tonight?"
Aidan raised an eyebrow at her question. "Can't fall asleep without me around?" he responded as he
curled his lips into a smirk.
She glared at him speechlessly. I knew I shouldn't have asked such questions. This b*stard can never
give me a serious response. "I'm heading off. It doesn't bother me whether you come home—I just
want you to leave me a text to let me know your decision. I'll head out for a meal with Zoe if you're not
coming home," she muttered as she picked her bags up.
Before he could say anything, she was already out of the room. Jonathan showed up in the office a
while after she left. "President Pearson."
Aidan wiped the small smile off his face before asking coolly, "What is it?"
"The news is out. I'm sure William will find out about Mrs. Pearson's decision to go to Crossley Group
by this afternoon." Jonathan paused before continuing in a rather cautious tone, "But based on their
previous reactions… Do you think it's likely for William to go back to Crossley Group, President
Pearson?"
"Who said anything about wanting William back in the Crossley Group?" Aidan pressed his slender
fingers against his temple. Jonathan didn't seem to understand his words entirely. "So, what you mean
is…"
"We haven't found Leroy, so things are not over yet. William made a rather dumb move of admitting his
true identity at a time like this. However, he was also partially responsible for Crossley Group's current
state, so I don't think he could just abandon them without doing anything," Aidan uttered.
"They've been trying to fix the mess that Leroy left them with," Jonathan added.
"Have they really done anything?" Aidan asked in an unimpressed tone. Jonathan was quiet as he
realized that they hadn't made much progress. It didn't matter who—them or William—attempted to
help out with Crossley Group's situation. The scale of the problem was too large, so whatever they did
merely felt like a Band-Aid being plastered onto a gunshot wound.
Aidan continued in his monotonous voice, "William has clearly given up on Crossley Group for now—
he's simply watching as they fall apart. He probably even hopes that they can just disappear since he
no longer cares for the company. If anything, Crossley Group was probably the initial source of his
resentment."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"If what you're saying is true, then it seems like there's nothing wrong with his decision," Jonathan
commented.
Aidan let out a deep grunt. "Leroy's not the only one responsible for the tragedy that happened 20
years ago. William was part of it, too." William already knew the sort of person that Leroy was—even
Leroy's parents never had high hopes for him. Yet, William was a stubborn and individualistic man who
went against the majority's opinion—he was the one who allowed Leroy to enter the company.
Little did he know, his actions were the cause of this whole mess, Aidan thought.
Twenty years ago, Lloyd was a polite and generous man, who was also charismatic and smart in his
field of work. However, he was simply too unguarded and simple-minded. If he had been a little more
cautious with Leroy and hadn't handed everything to him, perhaps Leroy wouldn't have had the chance
to climb up the ladder. Perhaps the entire explosion wouldn't have happened, and Leanna wouldn't
have ended up roaming around on her own for 20 years or even met someone like Jethro.
Finally, William stepped out of the shadows after 20 years. At this point, all he felt running in his blood
was the hatred and resentment that he had carried for so long. So, he needed to know that Leanna
was heading to Crossley Group so that he would shift his focus back to the company instead of
engaging in other pointless actions.
"Do you think this will be helpful, President Pearson?" Jonathan asked.
"Well, it all depends on how William makes sense of this matter." Aidan had thought it all out—he knew
that he would be able to handle everything after Leanna went to Crossley Group, even if William wasn't
there.
After a slight pause, Aidan shifted the topic. "How's Georgina?"
"She keeps throwing fits in her cell. The wound on her face is really deep, and the doctor said that it's
going to leave a scar. Her looks will probably be ruined," Jonathan explained.
Aidan didn't show a hint of emotion on his face. "It seems like Leroy decided to give up on his precious
daughter at a crucial time like this," he muttered.
"He can barely save himself. I don't think he can care for his daughter now,” Jonathan replied.
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