Ch. 1721..1730

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1721

Larry hugged Joan tightly. He rested his chin on her head and scoffed, “You better keep your promise.”

Her encouragement meant the entire world to him. She was not simply a supporter, but also the source of his strength.

The chairman of Alpire Group set up his meeting with Larry at a famous bar instead of his office or the conference room. Larry was confused because a seedy bar was certainly of peculiar place to talk business.Most of his meetings with top businessmen took place either in restaurants, cafes or at the gyms.

Despite that, he decided to go and meet him out of curiosity.

After he reached, Larry struggled to find a parking spot since the bar didn’t provide a reserved parking area. However, he found one at an intersection. He checked the address on his phone—Riverdale Route 36.

At the chairman’s request, Larry went there alone without any company.

The moment he walked into the bar, he noticed something about the decoration that looked familiar yet strange to him. He recalled the day when he visited a foreign bar and got blackout drunk because he was wrecked by the devastation.

This must be the place.

He went deeper into the interior and was not impressed with it. The bar had triggered the opening of his memory box, that let his painful memories resurfaced, mirroring the myth of the box of Pandora.

The flickering light made him dizzy, and he felt foggy in the brain because of the smoke-filled room reeked of alcohol.

Who the hell would pick this kind of place to talk business? He doubted they would have a formal conversation in such kind of place.

The confusing pictures, the unidentified IP addresses, the inexplicable acquisition plan, and the illumination in that bar certainly shrouded that man with an initial S in mystery.

Again, Larry checked his phone to see the invitation. Somehow, the mysterious man felt so far, yet so close to him.

His eyes cast about the crowded bar, searching for a middle-aged man between forties and fifties. Right then, his phone vibrated. He pressed the notification. It was a message from that unknown person: I see you. I’m on your right.

Larry turned his head to the right instinctively and saw a man waving his phone from a distance as if he had been waiting for his arrival.

Several people walked past them, so he only caught a glimpse of his face. Amid the flashing lights, he could only assume that the man didn’t have the stereotypical image of an entrepreneur over forties. Rather, the latter looked much younger and was perhaps about the same age as he.

As he drew closer, he could see his face clearly. At that moment, everything seemed to be at a standstill. The energy fielded around them was different. One was hot under the collar, the other as calm as a toad in the sun.

Larry clenched his fists unwittingly, and his brow furrowed tightly. The vein on forehead bulge as if he was on the brink of violence.

The man in front of him immediately noticed his expression, but he wasn’t threatened or surprised. Instead, he swirled the beer in his glass while he maintained composure on his face. Then, he put down the glass on the table and dropped his hands. He welcomed Larry like an old friend. His smile and deep gaze were indecipherable.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1722

“It’s been a while, Larry.”

Larry tuned him out in his head. As he watched his lips moved, rage started plucking at his nerves.

He stepped forward with lightning speed, grabbed his collar and stared at the man with eyes that seemed like he was about to eat him up.

“Are you trying to mess with me now?” Larry snarled through clenched teeth. The urge to punch him was hard to keep under control.

On the other hand, that man did not feel intimidated. Instead, his expression was as calm as still water. He gazed down at Larry with an enormous grin splitting his face. “If I say yes, are you going to swing your fist at me?”

It turned out that the mysterious man who invited him was none other than Dustin. Despite the tense moment, he gave Larry a sarcastic reply with his composed face. Although it would seem like a joke between two friends in the eyes of others, his words were contemptuous irony.

Larry obviously didn’t take his words as a mere joke because their relationship was more than that. Larry’s wife, Joan treated Dustin as her life savior. She always felt that she owed him, despite Larry and Dustin being fierce rivals.

Soon, people began to gather around them. A buzz of chatter and gossip rose from the crowd. Yet neither of them cared about people’s stares. At that moment, there was a tense atmosphere around them.

“I can’t guarantee you will leave this place safe and sound if you try to play a trick on me,” Larry said with dead seriousness. He had never wanted to punch someone in the face so badly.

“Chill, man. I won’t mess with you. I’m the one who invited you.” Dustin chuckled.

Provoked, Larry grabbed his collar tighter. The rage stirred, but Dustin wasn’t bothered.

“If I wasn’t the one to meet you, would you treat that person the same way as you did to me now? Or should I say, this is the special treatment that the renowned Norton Corporation would provide to their partner and rival?”

Larry loosened his grip, and Dustin pulled his shirt back effortlessly as he remained stoic.

The latter smoothened his crumpled tie and adjusted it before he sat down. “I haven’t seen you for so long, but you’re still the same as you were back then at the hospital. Too rash and reckless,” he said in an indifferent tone.

Larry clenched his hands into tight fists. “I’m here to talk business. I have no time for your crap. Keep your trash-talk to yourself.”

When he turned and was about to leave, Dustin stopped him. “I can tell you why Alpire Group has decided to acquire Norton Corporation. Once you step out of that door, no one will ever tell you the reason as patiently as I do”

Larry’s heart skipped a beat when he heard about Alpire Group.

As expected, this meeting is not a pure coincidence. He’s got it all planned out. Wait… So he is the chairman of Alpire Group? This is impossible. Norton Corporation was founded later than Alpire Group. He was not even born yet.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1723

“If you invited me here for business, Dustin, tell me who exactly you are?” Larry peered at him with suspicious.

Dustin didn’t answer. Instead, he placed a name card on the table and shoved it a little farther from him. Larry took a glance at it. Alpire Group Financial Controller was written in the bottom left corner of the card.

Larry simply snickered. “Huh, I see you have multiples identities. Foreign-trained doctor, university professor, and now what? Financial Controller? What else did we miss? I guess creating a new identity is as easy as drinking a glass of water for you.”

His words were spoken with sarcasm to irritate his rival. However, Dustin knew for a fact that Larry was right. To carry out his plan, he had to come out with a new identity. And before he knew it, he had forgotten about his main goal and objective.

That was why he did not refute him. He remained silent and his gaze drifting from Larry to his name card on the table.

The latter noticed he couldn’t utter any reply, so he switched to a scornful tone and continued, “I’m here to meet the chairman. Now, where is he? Don’t tell me you’re here on his behalf. You’re not in a position to talk business with me.”

“Mr. Norton, I’m afraid there’s been some misunderstanding. Actually, the chairman sent me here to represent myself and the company. I’ve never said I’m here to represent him. So, if you have anything to tell him, you can convey it through me. And as a courtesy, I’m here to attend to your inquiry,” Dustin said it in one breath without blinking an eye. Each time he opened his mouth, Larry was annoyed.

“All right, let’s get down to business, shall we? The chairman ordered me to discuss the details of the acquisition with you. I thought this matter is very much important for you, but as soon as you saw me, I guess you’re not curious about it anymore. I see, there’s a strong resentment between us.”

Larry took a deep breath. He’s right. I’m not here to pick a fight. I need to hear their reason. I shouldn’t let this jerk affect my judgment. The company comes first.

He tried to control his emotions as he knew it wouldn’t do any good to waste his time on Dustin’s tactics.

Somehow, his temper rose again. He just couldn’t sit face to face with Dustin and had a formal conversation. He shut his mouth tight in a look of extreme displeasure.

Dustin reached out for a pile of documents beside him and laid them in front of him. Then, with great confidence, he said calmly, “Here, the chairman wants you to look through all these files.”

Larry’s frowning gaze dropped to the files on the table. While he was dumbfounded, Dustin pushed them closer to him and arched an eyebrow. Larry reached out and took it.

As expected, those documents contained all the reasons he wanted to know. Dustin clarified that the poor data management of Norton Corporation had led to the acquisition.

However, Larry knew very well how the company had operated over the years. He couldn’t comment nor accuse him of the leaked information. Their reason was just inconceivable to him.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1724

He could not ask Dustin the questions he had in mind. The content of part one of the proposal was as he expected. It was part two that left him shell-shocked.

It was clear from the proposal that they had the acquisition in mind a long time ago. Although it was stated they hope the acquisition offer would be a boost for Norton Corporation, one only had to read between the lines and would see they were aiming for an ultimate take-over.

This was Larry’s greatest worry come true. He had been worrying about this possibility but did not share that with Joan. He did not want Joan to be alarmed, as she may fret over it constantly. That was the same reason he kept mum during the board meeting. He did not want to affect the morale of the staff.

He felt like someone teased him with a warm light on a harsh cold winter night, then extinguished it, taking with it his last glimmer of hope.

He kept his emotions in check and coldly asked, “Why?” He wasn’t expecting a reasonable answer from Dustin. Dustin would probably use a flimsy reason to brush his question off.

He actually suspected Dustin got his title through dubious means and did not have real authority in this matter. He did not believe Dustin had the answers to his questions, but he still asked him “Why”.

“In business, everyone is after fame and fortune. I am sure you know it is survival of the fittest in this world, and one has to go with the flow. Alpire Group may have been set up earlier than Norton Corporation, but our development had lagged far behind you. Norton Corporation is now a well-known conglomerate in the country whereas Alpire Group is just beginning to grow internationally,” Dustin said. He then politely thanked the server who brought the alcohol and handed a glass to Larry.

“Alpire Group will create a name for itself if we successfully take over Norton Corporation’s current market share, don’t you agree?”

Alpire Group is going to buy over every subsidiary of Norton Corporation, then head in for the final kill of acquiring Norton Corporation. Clearly, that was what he meant. In other words, they were out to destroy Norton Corporation.

Larry was in a daze and unconsciously took the glass Dustin handed him. Since the day he got blind drunk, he had developed a phobia of drinking. On this day, he actually accepted the drink.

“I don’t believe this… there must be other reasons.” The taste of alcohol flooded his mouth, and all he could taste was bitterness.

Dustin only smiled and did not deny Larry’s speculation. Indeed, this was only the tip of the iceberg, as Jory and he had bigger plans, and he had no qualms making their intention known to Larry. That was the reason why he could confidently bring the proposal to meet Larry, all by himself.

They were not worried about how the plan would play out, as they were confident everything was within their control. Dustin had his own objectives, and Jory too, had his own secret intentions, which he never shared. These, in addition to the long-standing cash flow issues, were the three factors leading to the acquisition.

Dustin made part of their plans known to Larry as he wanted to taunt him. He wanted Larry to know he’s not invincible, that he too had weaknesses… The pain of seeing what you treasure disappear right in front of your eyes is worse than the loss itself.

Dustin was never a magnanimous person. Ever since Larry hit him at the hospital, he bore grudges and had marked Larry for revenge.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1725

There are many ways for one to seek revenge. It does not have to be an eye for an eye. One needed to calmly analyze the situation, made the best use of one’s advantage then go in for the kill.

Dustin was not certain what made him hate Larry that much. Joan could be the reason. He always fought hard for what he desired and was convinced he would have her by his side someday. He only had to be persistent and work zealously towards his goal.

Dustin collected the papers on the table, finished his drink, and stood up from the sofa. Under the blinding lights, he looks intimidating. Larry was beginning to feel breathless.

“If there are no other questions, we shall call it a day…”

No other questions? Of course, there were many questions in Larry’s mind. But, he knew even if he were to ask, a cunning man like Dustin would not have answered his queries truthfully.

“Have a nice day, Mr. Norton.” Dustin smiled and politely extended his hand to Larry.

That was a signal for the end of one’s conversation. But has the issue really ended? Larry knew this was only the beginning.

Larry went through the motion and shook Dustin’s hand. He thought Dustin had challenged him with a crushing handshake. That, plus the plastic smile on Dustin’s face, convinced Larry he was being mocked.

They are out to take over Norton Corporation. Larry could not get that thought out of his mind. Dustin’s sly smile was the other thing that bothered him. He knew Dustin was up to no good.

Or maybe, he had not gotten over Joan? This thought suddenly came to Larry, and he was thunderstruck. He nearly ran the red light and was about to hit a pedestrian. Thankfully, he snapped out of it just in time to jam the brake. He was thrown forward violently as he narrowly avoided the accident.

“You rascal! Are you blind? Watch how you are driving!” the middle-aged man shouted at Larry. He could hear it loud and clear even though the windows were all wound up. Larry managed to escape from a confrontation as the lady, which looked like the man’s wife, told him not to pursue the matter and dragged him away.

He was furious when he saw the photos last time as he suspected Joan had betrayed him. He never gave much thought to the other party in the photos. It has been Dustin’s scheme all along! Even if Joan is not interested in him, he would have made excuses to get close to her. This is all because he knows that Joan would never give up on me!

Larry wanted to give himself a tight slap. He made a huge mistake. The person he needed to be wary of was Dustin, not Joan! He had been making his and Joan’s lives miserable all these while when it was none of her faults. Oh no, what have I done?

In order to wait up for him, Joan had applied for time off work in the morning for the past few days. He went for the meeting with Dustin and came home later than usual this evening. As expected, Joan was seated by the door when he reached home. Her hands were supporting her chin, and she was nodding off, body swaying precariously. It was obvious she had waited for a long time.

She was half asleep and did not even realize Larry had walked up to her. Larry stared at the sleepy Joan. This was the girl that used to be shy but was smart and decisive. She was also the same girl who waited up for him every night, who learned new skills just for him, who…. memories came flooding back to him.

I am blessed to have met you.

Larry let out a small sigh, bent over, and picked Joan up. He could feel her cold limbs, and it pricked his conscience. She has waited by the door in the cold for so long…

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1726

Her long curly lashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened, still sleepy. She realized she was being carried into the house by Larry, so she struggled to be let down. However, Larry would have none of that but tightened his embrace instead.

“Why are you awake? You were sleeping so soundly at the door,” he teased.

It was amazing he still had the mood to joke, but that did not cheer Joan up. “I woke up when you sighed. Why are you sighing? Did the discussion not go well today?”

Larry had laid her down on the bed and was pulling a blanket over her. He paused when Joan posed the question. She held his right hand and looked him in the eyes, full of concern. “Please don’t hide anything from me.”

Larry sat by her side and held her hand tightly. “I… the meeting today was with Dustin.”

Joan sat up straight immediately and exclaimed in disbelief, “How is that possible? Dustin? Was it a chance meeting? I thought… I thought you said you were going to meet the chairman of Alpire Group. How did you end up meeting Dustin instead?”

Joan bombarded him with a load of questions as she could not believe it was Dustin. The last she met him was when she went to ask him about Larry. He had not contacted her since then too. Why did he approach Larry this time around?

“It was him. He is now the financial controller of Alpire Group. He said their chairman sent him. At the meeting today, his message was clear. Alpire’s target was Norton Corporation. They wanted to take over everything.”

“What? Dustin has become the financial controller of Alpire Group? And they want to take over Norton Corporation? This is unbelievable!” Joan’s eyes widened with surprise. To her, the chance of Dustin doing that seems so unlikely, like that of seeing a comet fall on earth.

Larry held back his rebuttal. They had overcome much hardship and misunderstanding before finally settling down to a blissful life. He would rather maintain that bliss than try to win an argument.

Financial controller? Joan was baffled. Isn’t Dustin a medical doctor? He was in charge of her treatment when she was in A Nation. He went on to become a lecturer at the medicine faculty of Nirhaven College. That switch was logical given his expertise and training. On the contrary, his latest move to that of a financial controller was puzzling. Wherever he went, they seemed to meet time and again. There were valid reasons for them to meet in his first two jobs, but Joan could not associate his position at Alpire Group with herself.

“I feel he may have some ulterior motives…” Larry tried to suppress his emotions and spoke as calmly as he possibly could. It was tough, as the thought of Dustin made him boil. How he wished Dustin would vanish in the air instantly.

“I think that is unlikely. He was a helpful and nice doctor and didn’t look like a scheming person,” Joan tried to defend.

His wife defending a man he detested made Larry cringed, but he did not rebuke Joan. He would have picked a fight with her previously. After they went through all the earlier misunderstandings, Larry had matured and learned to keep his emotions in check.

Joan was defensive of Dustin as he had been nice to her. People like Dustin only have eyes for those they love and would do anything to get their hands on what they wanted. He was more toxic than Joan could ever imagine. She would always remember the good in people and forgot the fact that everyone had an opposing dark side.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1727

“I wished I could say he is a good man.” Those were the only words Larry could say in response to Joan’s defense of Dustin.

“Is this the Barrymore residence? There is a parcel for Ms. Barrymore.” A courier man was outside the door. He was fanning himself furiously with his cap, melting in the scorching hot weather.

A gush of warm air rushed into the room as Nancy opened the door. The courier man stuffed a kraft paper package through the door and left hurriedly. He couldn’t wait to deliver this last package of the day and make his way home.

She was curious about the brown package in her hand, as she did not do any online shopping. The sender’s address was Marsingfill, where Nancy was staying. She wondered why someone would bother to use express courier service to send her this urgently when they were in the same city.

She tore open the wrapping and found an ordinary envelope, well protected with bubble wrap.

To Ms. Barrymore. That was written in black ink on the envelope. The sender was formal and had used her family name instead of her first name.

It was written in traditional calligraphy with a fountain pen. The strokes were bold and care, reflecting the personality of the sender.

Nancy already knew who the sender was when she saw her name on the envelope.

She opened the envelope, and there was a red invitation card inside. It was a handwritten card, inviting her to be his teammate in the coming competition.

Taekwondo competition, of course. Nancy’s lips curled into a smile. That was the most exclusive Taekwondo competition for all the practitioners, so she would definitely not give it a miss. Moreover, her partner would be Jory, whom she had sparred with on numerous occasions and already developed special feelings for.

Her first impression of Jory was that of a playboy. After some heart-to-heart talks, she discovered that he was actually a lively, warm, humorous, and chic guy.

She realized his youthfulness and care personality gave others the wrong impression of him being a playboy.

Both Jory and she were born in the same year. That was the reason why both their parents had always wanted to pair them up. The timing did not work in their favor. She met Caspian before Jory, so she ended up being with Caspian.

Nancy carefully placed the handwritten invitation card in the second drawer of her dresser. She left the drawer open and was staring dazedly at her name written on the envelope. She was not sure what was going on in her mind. Could she be feeling regretful for rejecting the marriage proposal?

Somewhere deep in her heart, she had someone in a special place but that was not meant to be.

She heard the key turned in the lock and hurriedly closed the drawer. The next moment, Caspian’s voice drifted in.

“I’m back, Nancy! Where are you? Boss went to meet the chairman of Alpire Group. I bet you won’t be able to guess who that person is…” Caspian started chattering as he changed out of his shoes.

Chairman of Alpire Group? Did Larry meet Jory’s dad? Isn’t his dad overseas? He could not have come back. Did Larry meet Jory instead? What is going on?

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1728

All these thoughts ran through Nancy’s mind, and she nearly blurted them out. Caspian walked over with a smirk, wanting to keep her in suspense. Upon seeing her with a desperately curious look, he offered, “It’s Dustin!”

He crossed his arms and continued, “I did not expect him to be related to Alpire Group. That aside, the most damning thing was he told Boss they are targeting the whole of Norton Corporation. They want to take over Norton Corporation!”

Whew! Thank goodness it was not Jory. She breathed a sigh of relief as she remembered no one else actually knew Jory. She was too nervous earlier to think straight and to focus on what Caspian was saying.

Larry’s company was in a crisis, and all she could think of was Jory.

“We’ll have to help Larry. Please let him know he could contact my dad and me if he needs our help.” She made a casual offer, but Caspian took it as a sincere offer and was rather touched.

He stepped forward to give Nancy a hug, yet she used her arms to block him off. She was taken aback by her own reaction but went on to banter with Caspian. “You are hot and sweaty. Go get a shower.”

Caspian scratched his head in embarrassment, held her hand, and apologized to her. He then went to pick his clothes from the wardrobe and got ready to shower.

It was only upon hearing the bathroom door closed that she slumped and sat on the bed. She crossed her hands as she sank in confusion like never before.

Innocent Caspian had not detected her abnormality in the past few days, but even if she could deceive Caspian, she could not hide her feelings. She knew she had changed and there was no turning back.

It was pitch dark outside, and one could hear the toads croaking amongst the bushes.

As she stared into the night, her mind drifted, and the window of the room turned to be that of her red Bentley. She could vividly see herself seated in the driver’s seat and an exasperated Jory yelping at her to get out of the way.

She did not know how long she was in a daze, thinking of Jory. When she recovered from it, she was no longer on that narrow lane where they met. She was still seated on her bed at home, surrounded by silence, accompanied by the occasional toad croaks.

Larry and Joan did not approach Finnick and Vivian for help to resolve Norton Corporation’s crisis. They did not even tell them about the problem.

However, in this digital age, Finnick and Vivian would have found out through different mediums in social media.

Larry and Joan found they had little time to spend with Leslie as they had to try ways and means to save Norton Corporation. Out of desperation, Joan had to pay Finnick and Vivian a visit to ask for their help to look after Leslie.

She stared at the rosy chubby cheeks of Leslie, who was lying in the baby cot and sighed, “Leslie dear, please do not be angry with Daddy and Mommy. We would love to spend all our time with you, but at this moment, we had to fight hard to keep the company, which is the fruit of blood, sweat, and tears of many people. Daddy and Mommy had no choice but to send you over to your grandpa and grandma for the time being…”

Young Leslie seemed to have understood her, and his little face scrunched up, looking displeased. Joan was anxious about meeting her in-laws too. They had not met since Norton Corporation got into trouble.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1729

In all honesty, Joan didn’t blame Larry as she understood him. However, she couldn’t speak on behalf of Finnick and Vivian since they had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into the company. Now that it had ended up in such a sorry state, even she herself wasn’t certain whether Finnick would condemn Larry.

“You’re here, Ms. Joan?” The housemaid wiped her hands on her apron. Then, she spotted Leslie in Joan’s arms. “Oh, you even brought Leslie along!”

Joan flashed her a polite smile. “Is Vivian and Finnick home?”

Smiling at her in return, the housemaid then hollered in the direction of the house, “Mr. Norton and Mrs. Norton, Ms. Joan and Leslie are here!”

The moment Vivian saw Joan and Leslie, she hurried forward and carried him from Joan’s arms. It had been a while since she last saw the baby. She hadn’t visited them out of worry that she would be a bother. She initially thought that they would bring him back for a visit in a few days, but it turned out that they actually dragged their feet until now.

Having not laid eyes on him for a long time, Vivian truly missed her grandchild greatly. She cradled Leslie in the crook of her arms and rocked him gently, but it seemed that he had had enough sleep. Surprisingly, he didn’t throw a tantrum but pointed at them while giggling with his petite mouth open.

By then, Finnick had also walked over, and he looked as though he wanted to snatch the child from Vivian. At that moment, the two elderly people whose hair was threaded with gray resembled two immature children vying for their beloved toy.

At the sight of them both showering their affection on Leslie, Joan breathed a sigh of relief. Phew! With Leslie diverting their attention, they most likely won’t pressure Larry no matter how angry they are!

Before she could even say anything, Finnick had already seen through her and smilingly remarked, “Well? Are you here to entrust Leslie’s care to us?”

Huh? I initially brought Leslie over so that I’ll gain the upper hand, but why am I now on the passive end? As her intentions were suddenly exposed, she chuckled awkwardly. “Ah well, I was worried that you two would miss Leslie.”

In the next moment, it was Vivian who exposed her, saying, “Okay, okay, that’s enough. If you were truly worried that we were missing Leslie, you would’ve brought him over ages ago. You wouldn’t have left this elderly couple languishing in loneliness until now.”

Ah, why didn’t Larry inherit Vivian’s humor? What a shame! Joan lamented inwardly. Sure enough, her worry had been proven to be warranted, for it was always difficult to fool the elderly.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything? Have we hit the nail on the head, then?” Finnick deliberately taunted. When he saw her terrified expression at his words, he then gave a soft cough. In the blink of an eye, he turned serious and solemnly patted her on the shoulder. “It’s fine. I’ve known about the situation at the company. My stance remains the same—everything will work itself out in the end.”

“What if things fall apart?” Joan blurted out of the blue.

Amused by their daughter-in-law’s instinctive riposte, Finnick and Vivian doubled over in laughter. After a long while, Finnick finally stifled his laughter and said to her with feigned authoritativeness, “Fall apart? Even if they fall apart, there’ll still be debris left. When it comes to money, it’ll be yours if it’s meant to be. But if otherwise, it’ll be of no use no matter how hard you work.”

“Furthermore, it’s not like the Norton family can’t survive without the company,” Vivian added.

Hmm? This doesn’t seem right… It’s completely different from the script I’d imagined! Shouldn’t they be wearing forbidding expressions and asking me what Larry is doing at the office all day that he has ruined their decades of hard work?

How could it be this scene before me instead? They actually busted a gut laughing, then went to the side to discuss what brand of crib and milk to purchase for Leslie? Are there parents who could care less about their son than them?

Shellshocked, she stood rooted to the spot. In the end, it was the housemaid who snapped her back to reality, urging, “Don’t just stand there, Ms. Joan. Please have a seat.” Only then did she compose herself and sat on the sofa.

When Vivian noticed that she still seemed restless, she smiled. “Are you still worried about Larry?”

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 1730

In truth, Joan wasn’t worried about Larry. Instead, she was worried that Finnick and Vivian would blame Larry. Larry already has his plate full, so he can’t take any more pressure from others! However, she couldn’t say that, so she could only nod in tacit acquiescence to Vivian’s remark.

Upon seeing her nod, Vivian affectionately wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I’ve raised Larry from young, and he’s the kind of person who’ll give something his all when he has made up his mind to do it. It’s the same this time. Whatever it is, the result doesn’t matter as long as he has done his best and given it his all.

“The outcome isn’t important. We don’t have a strong affinity for money and the company. Finnick has already made more money than a person could make in two lifetimes. If worse comes to worst, we’ll just be more frugal in the future. We can still survive without any problems.”

Gah! That’s not what I wanted to say! Joan wailed inwardly. So, does this mean that they’ve long since planned for the eventuality that the company would go bankrupt? Are they truly his biological parents? Or was Norton Corporation given to them by someone for ?

The two of them really have no attachment to earthly possession, huh? They don’t even care about anything Larry does. Well, that’s a good thing! Joan was very much relieved. Since things are fine with them here, I’ll now go and find someone. I wonder if he’ll be able to shed light on the questions I have.

“I knew that you would come and seek me out.” As Dustin looked at Joan before him, he wasn’t the least bit surprised. “But why did you choose to meet in a nature park?”

An hour ago, Joan sent Dustin a message after leaving Finnick and Vivian’s place. Dustin arrived very quickly, so they met in the park in no time.

Since it was Sunday, the nature park was bustling even more than usual. At the gate itself, there was an unceasing throng of visitors. Vendors sold various kinds of balloons, while children who came and went tugged on their parents’ hands as they beseeched them to get one.

Dustin was wearing a sky blue casual jacket and slim-fit pants that rendered him all the taller. On the whole, his dressing was vastly different from his usually serious and meticulous style.

As Joan stared at him with undisguised weariness in her eyes, she felt that something about him had changed despite looking no different. Yet, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

All of a sudden, she blurted, “I remember back when we were abroad, I used to be very pessimistic just after you had operated on me. Thus, you brought me to the various parks in A Nation. At that time, I always thought to myself that I’ll bring you to a park in Marsingfill if I could ever recover my health…”

She naturally stood beside Dustin, and they walked side by side, creating a blissful picture.

“Later, I returned to Chanaea, but I couldn’t fulfill the promise back then due to various reasons… And you even left Marsingfill to head back to A Nation again because of me.” Joan stared down at the scattered pebbles below her feet. As she stepped on them, she felt the pressure accumulated at her soles dissipating.

“That’s why… I decided on this place for our meeting today.” As the rays of sunlight shone on her head, they appeared both like crystal ornaments that adorned her hair and the stars scattered across the Milky Way.

Conversely, Dustin’s gaze remained on her—the look in his eyes gentle as though he was looking at a priceless treasure. As a breeze blew her scattered hair into her face, he abruptly reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Actually, as long as I’m with you… as long as I get to see you, I’m happy wherever it may be.”

Such a declaration was tantamount to a confession of love, but Joan was already numb to it. Although Dustin rarely expressed himself to her, she wasn’t a fool, so she more or less knew that he had feelings for her.

However, she didn’t want to hurt him, much less ruin the harmonious relationship between them, thus never once pointed it out before him.