Ch. 421..430

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 421

Benedict’s silence made Evelyn anxious. “Ben, please don’t tell Finnick about it.” Tugging his hand, she whined, “You know how he is like. If he finds out what happened, he will not let me off the hook.”

Benedict knew she was right. Although he saved Vivian, he did not think he could tell Finnick that she was the person behind all of it either.

Having learned from Ashley’s incident, he knew that if Finnick found out that Evelyn was responsible for Vivian’s kidnap, not only would he danger his sister but the whole Morrison family too. He could not take such a big risk.

“Ben, please give me your word. You can’t tell Finnick anything. I’m begging you,” Evelyn pitifully pleaded.

Benedict gave his sister a complex look. After all, she was the only person he had blood ties with, no matter how shrewd she was. Besides, he promised his parents to take care of her, and he could not put her in such a dangerous position.

Seeing her brother’s small nod, Evelyn flashed a small smile. She knew that he still doted on her.

“In return, you must promise never to hurt Vivian again,” Benedict sternly warned.

“Okay, I promise,” Evelyn casually stated to appease him.

Turning to glance in the direction of Vivian’s ward, Benedict’s eyes were filled with regret as he inwardly apologised to her.

All this time, Finnick was gripping Vivian’s hand, waiting for her to wake up.

When Vivian finally woke up, she opened her eyes to see white walls around her. Realizing she was in the hospital, she let out a sigh of relief, thankful that she had escaped.

“Vivian, you’re awake,” Finnick exclaimed. He was nervous but glad to see her regain her consciousness.

The moment Vivian heard the man’s voice, tears rolled down her cheeks. Her brain recalled the fear and anxiety she felt from before. While she was struggling in the warehouse earlier, she desperately hoped to see Finnick. Now, he was finally in front of her.

“Finnick, I…” She choked out his name but could not continue. With tears in her eyes, she could only look at Finnick.

That sight made Finnick’s heart ache for her. Immediately, he wiped her tears and wrapped his arms around her. In a comforting tone, he muttered, “I’m right here. Don’t worry. I will stay by your side…”

Unable to hold back her emotions, Vivian cried harder when she heard Finnick consoling her. Burying her head deeper in his arms, she finally let go of the fear and anger she had pent up.

Finnick’s eyes teared, hearing the painful sobs from his loved one. After blinking his eyes multiple times, he patted Vivian’s back and cooed, “Alright, don’t cry anymore. Everything is in the past now.”

It took a long time before Vivian stopped crying.

Gently, Finnick pulled himself away from her to get a tissue for her to wipe her tears. After he wiped them dry, he hugged her again, resting his chin on the crown of her head. From time to time, he would whisper words of comfort.

Meanwhile, Vivian snuggled in his embrace, trying to absorb his warmth. Slowly, she managed to regain her composure.

It still took some time before she completely calmed down and raised her head from Finnick’s arms again. Instantly, she noticed that Finnick’s shirt was soaked with her tears and dirtied by her snort.

Feeling embarrassed, she could not lift her gaze to match Finnick’s. She could only take a piece of tissue to try to clean up the mess she made.

“It’s alright. I can change into a new shirt later.” Finnick stared into Vivian’s eyes, taking her hands into his.

As she was very emotional earlier, Vivian did not manage to take a proper look at Finnick. Facing each other now, she could see his features clearly.

She noticed how haggard he looked with the dark circles around his eyes. Furthermore, his eyes did not light up like before and looked quite swollen. Judging from the stubble on his chin, it looked like he had not rested well for a long time.

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“Look at how drained you look. I’m sorry for making you worry,” Vivian uttered, touching his cheek with her hand.

Finnick felt worse hearing Vivian’s words. As compared to what she had been through, this was nothing. Yet, she was apologizing to him. He should be the one to apologize for not being there to protect her when she needed him most.

Pulling her into his arms again, he held back his tears and assured her, “Vivian, everything is okay now. Whatever happened is in the past, and I will not leave you.”

“Hmm?” Vivian gently broke out of the embrace and stared at Finnick in confusion.

Cupping Vivian’s face, Finnick earnestly looked into her eyes and declared, “Vivian, I love you. I love your heart and your soul. Regardless of what happens, I will never abandon you. Therefore, you must promise me that you will never leave me either, and you will stay with me forever.”

It was heart-warming to hear Finnick’s sudden confession, though Vivian did not understand where he was coming from.

She held Finnick’s hands and curiously asked, “Why are you telling me this all of a sudden? Nothing happened to me. Am I not sitting here in front of you?”

Finnick froze when he heard her response but quickly recovered and replied, “Yes, you are fine now. Nothing happened. We can pretend that everything was a thing of the past.”

“What happened in the past?” Vivian looked puzzled.

“Nothing. Nothing happened.” Finnick let out a bitter laugh, trying to hide the pain he felt.

Realizing that Finnick was not going to share what he meant, Vivian tried to ignore the burning questions she had. She did not probe any further and changed the topic instead. “Did Benedict tell you that I was here?”

She remembered that Benedict saved her by the bell. Therefore, he probably sent her here.

At that thought, she felt a surge of gratitude towards him. It was fortunate that he rushed there just in time. Otherwise, she would not be lying here and facing Finnick with her head held high.

On the other hand, Finnick was confused by Vivian’s question, but he did not overthink it. “No, it wasn’t him. It was Mark who told me you were here.”

“Mark?” Vivian was bewildered by Finnick’s answer.

“Yes.” Thinking that Vivian recalled her painful memories, Finnick regretted mentioning Mark’s name. He gently tapped her hand and assured her, “Don’t be afraid. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

However, Vivian did not catch what he said as she was busy wondering how Mark knew she landed up here.

She was certain that Benedict sent her here because he was the last person she saw before she fainted. Other than him, only Evelyn knew she was here. Was it Evelyn who told Mark?

Instantly, Vivian asked, “Where is Evelyn then? I remember seeing her.”

“Oh, she is with Benedict. She saved you.” Finnick thought she had forgotten about it, having been through such a traumatic experience. “When you get better, we can thank her together.”

When she heard that Evelyn saved her with Benedict, she finally understood the situation. Evelyn and Mark planned the kidnapping.

Evelyn did this because of Finnick. Why did Mark do it then? Did he want to blackmail Finnick?

“What are you thinking about?” Finnick questioned while ruffling her hair when he saw Vivian in a daze. Then, he sympathetically added, “Don’t overthink, alright?”

Vivian raised her head to look at Finnick and wanted to tell him her speculations. However, she remembered what happened at the café.

He did not believe me at that time, so would he believe me this time? Would he think that I am merely trying to black mouth Evelyn?

Besides, Finnick told me that Evelyn saved me and even suggested to thank her. It means that he believed that it was the truth. If I blindly state that Evelyn was responsible for the kidnapping, how would he think about it? Would he think that I am trying to set Evelyn up?

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“What’s wrong? Do you have something to tell me?” Finnick commented, noticing Vivian’s burning gaze.

After some thought, Vivian decided not to reveal her guess. Instead, she would tell him once she confirmed the truth behind it and had evidence for it.

“Nope. I was thinking about how lucky I was for Benedict to save me in time. Otherwise, I would not be here in one piece,” she made up an excuse.

“Lucky?” This time, Finnick was confused by her choice of words.

“Of course. Wasn’t it fortunate?” Vivian did not understand Finnick’s confusion. “Luckily, Benedict showed up in time to save me. Otherwise…”

She paused. Thinking about the incident in the warehouse, she burst into tears again. She lowered her head, and her tears fell on the blanket. Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath before she muttered, “Otherwise, those people would have succeeded.”

It made Finnick more baffled. Did she mean that those men did not touch her?

That’s odd. Evelyn told me that she saw Vivian being raped by them. The doctor also did a test and confirmed that she was sexually abused. What is going on? Does she not remember anything?

Although many questions filled Finnick’s head, he did not want to question her any further. Looking at the crying figure before him, he did not want to upset her.

He tried to push away his thoughts. Using his thumb to wipe away the tears on Vivian’s face, he said, “Don’t cry anymore. Let’s not think about what happened. You should take a good rest instead.”

Vivian silently nodded, closing her eyes and holding back her tears.

Cautiously, Finnick lowered Vivian down to a lying position and dried her tears with a tissue. “Get some sleep. When you wake up, everything would be okay.”

After crying so much, Vivian was exhausted. It did not take long before she drifted off to sleep while clinging onto Finnick’s hand.

Finnick slowly pried his numb hands away from hers and rubbed them together when she finally slept. Looking at the sleeping figure, he supported himself with the bed rails and planted a kiss on her cheek. Then, he whispered, “No matter what happened, I love you.”

He lifted his head to stare at her angelic face for a while longer before straightening her blanket and turning to leave the ward.

The moment he stepped out, he saw Noah standing outside.

Noah had been there for a long time. However, when he saw Finnick in Vivian’s ward, he did not want to disturb them. Thus, he politely waited outside. When he saw his boss coming out, he rushed over. “Mr. Norton, the board of directors…”

“Before that, let’s find the doctor first,” Finnick cut Noah off before the latter could finish. With Noah struggling to keep up behind him, Finnick briskly walked towards the doctors’ office.

There, Finnick looked for the doctor who came by earlier. After briefly explaining the situation, he anxiously asked, “Doctor, what happened to my wife? Why can’t she seem to recall what happened?”

Initially, the doctor was slightly flustered to see Finnick approaching him, thinking that the man saw through his lie. However, after hearing his question, the doctor felt relieved. Finnick still believed his words.

“Maybe the patient is unable to accept the fact and chose to forget that part of her memory. The upsetting experience could be another reason. Perhaps, she is too embarrassed to tell you about it, so she pretended that she has forgotten,” the doctor tried to make up excuses for the situation.

Nonetheless, his words did not sound ridiculous. Generally, these were possible outcomes for women who met such situations. Only this time, Vivian was not one of those women who were sexually abused, so of course, it did not apply to her. Regardless, he could not tell Finnick that.

“In any case, it is best not to ask the patient about what happened. For a female to go through such humiliation must be very pressurising on her. Whether she forgot about it or pretended to do so, it is a coping mechanism for her. If you force her to recall what happened, it may backfire and even cause her to break down,” he added, afraid that Finnick would see through him.

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As long as he doesn’t ask and his wife doesn’t tell him, everything would turn out fine. I will successfully receive my cash reward for it too.

“I understand.” Finnick nodded and thanked the doctor, “Thank you.”

“No problem. In the meantime, take good care of your wife. When you are , you can take her out for a walk to lift her spirits. It is not a bad thing for her to forget about it either. After all, remembering it might haunt her instead.”

“That is true.” Finnick thanked the doctor again before he left the office.

Seeing Finnick walk out of the office, the doctor thumped his chest and let out a sigh of relief. He has an abnormally strong aura. No matter how many times I look at him, I still get intimidated by his gaze.

Luckily, he still seems fooled by me since he is out of sorts and worried for his wife.

After they left, Noah still felt uneasy about the doctor’s words. He worriedly asked Finnick, “Mr. Norton, is Mrs. Norton’s condition normal? Otherwise, should we look for another doctor to check on her? If anything is wrong…”

“No need for that,” Finnick stopped him. He did not want another doctor to examine her because of that matter again. On the one hand, he was afraid it might trigger her. On the other hand, he did not want people to gossip about it.

“Don’t bring this up again. We will pretend that none of that happened,” Finnick ordered.

“Okay.” As a man himself, he somewhat understood where Finnick was coming from.

“What were you saying about the board of directors earlier?” Finnick recalled what Noah first said when he left the ward.

“The board of directors are in the meeting room, and they are making a big fuss. They want you to meet them and give them an explanation,” his personal assistant explained.

Finnick already saw it coming. After such a big incident, the board of directors would not easily let himself off. Therefore, he quickly headed back to the office with Noah.

Once they entered the building, Finnick could feel the tense aura hanging in the air.

Everyone in the office seemed startled and were not as professional as before. They were forming groups and gossiping. Especially with his arrival, instead of dispersing, they started whispering more animatedly among themselves.

“What’s going on?” Frowning, Finnick turned to Noah for an answer.

“Mr. Norton, the leak in Finnor Group’s customers’ information had been exposed online. Now, the internet and newspapers are all reporting about it, and we could not stop it. I guess everyone in the office heard about it. They must be worried about the company’s situation and are unable to concentrate on their work,” Noah accounted.

At first, he tried to hide the matter from the employees since it was important to put their minds at ease. Unfortunately, the news spread like wildfire on the internet. Before he could take any measures against it, the employees already found out what happened.

“The board of directors merely watched the employees react like so and did nothing about it?” Finnick was annoyed. In such a situation, did no one step up to manage it?

Noah helplessly replied, “Well, all of them were arguing in the meeting room, and they would not listen to me. When the employees saw them arguing, they panicked. Rumors about Finnor Group going bankrupt suddenly began to spread, and some are even preparing to transfer companies now.”

“Nonsense!” Finnick picked up his pace. “These people are tyrants.”

While waiting for the elevator, he noticed that the employees were staring intensely at him. After some thought, he turned to walk towards them.

“Mr. Norton, the directors are waiting for you,” Noah quickly reminded, unsure of what his boss was trying to do.

“Then, let them wait. Meanwhile, can you bring me a microphone?” With that, Finnick headed to the employees’ workspace.

“Okay.” Noah immediately took the hint and acted accordingly.

When they saw Finnick walking towards them, the employees stopped talking and fell silent.

Moving to the centre of the space, Finnick announced, “Everyone, please return to your seats. I want to address the matter.”

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Finnick was still highly respected among his employees. When they heard his request, they obediently returned to their seats.

At the same time, Noah came back with a microphone. He passed it to Finnick then took a few steps back.

With the microphone in hand, Finnick’s voice rang through the office.

“I know that everyone is worried about the company’s future. Here, I can tell all of you that someone purposely sabotaged Finnor Group. With that said, everyone need not be worried. We have found a way to deal with it, but we will need some time. Meanwhile, I hope everyone can put in their best at work. The person behind it hopes that we would falter before he sends the last blow to destroy our company. Please do not be fooled. Let’s come together and get through this together. I will assure you that I will do my best to protect this family we have here in Finnor Group, and I will protect your jobs. Likewise, please continue to work hard.”

Then, Finnick put down his microphone. No one replied, and he looked around to see dull expressions on everyone’s faces.

He knew that his words were not enough to dispel everyone’s worries. However, there was nothing else he could do at this point to convince them.

Suddenly a female’s voice rang from the corner of the room. “Yes, Mr. Norton. We believe you, and we will continue to do our best at work!” Everyone turned to look at the person in surprise.

At the centre of everyone’s attention, the woman’s face turned red. Despite so, she courageously took a step forward after a short hesitation. “I worked very hard to get into Finnor Group, and the company did not disappoint me. The employee benefits are great, and the promotion criteria are reasonable as well. As long as you are willing to put in the work, your salary will increase. I believe everyone thinks like me. Since we tried so hard to get into a good company like this, why should we leave then? Besides, everyone is confident of Mr. Norton’s abilities. I believe that under his leadership, we can emerge stronger from this setback.”

After rambling, the female employee looked around nervously. Colleagues who were usually close to her chimed, “We believe in you, Mr. Norton.”

“Yes, Mr. Norton. We will do our best.”

“Mr. Norton, you have my support!”

Sometimes, words from a peer were more impactful than a leader, and more and more employees begin to respond too.

“Yes, Mr. Norton, we believe you. Let’s do this together.”

“Yes, Finnor Group will not crumble that easily!”

“Alright, all of us should get back to work.”

“At the very most, we will not get paid for a few months. Despite so, we have been receiving a salary that is higher than the market rate. We will not starve without a month’s worth of salary. “Someone else even added, “Who knows, if we manage to get through this, Mr. Norton may give us a bonus.”

“Hahaha…” Hearing the colleague’s words, everyone began to laugh. Instantly, the mood in the room lightened.

“Thank you for all your support,” Finnick spoke in the microphone. “I promise that no matter what happens to Finnor Group, I will still pay out your salaries. Now, I have to discuss with the board of directors about the matter. All of you can return to work.”

Then, Finnick returned the microphone to Noah. He gave a ninety-degree bow before he turned to leave.

As he walked past the employee who first replied to him, he whispered, “Thank you.” Shyly, she stuttered, “No…problem.”

He nodded and smiled at the lady, then rushed to the meeting room.

As soon as he pushed open the meeting room door, Finnick was greeted by a ruckus. When the directors who were arguing saw Finnick’s arrival, they exploded.

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“Finnick, what on earth is going on?”

“Exactly! Do you know how much our stock price fell within this short frame of time?”

“If only one or two of the client’s information was leaked, we could close one eye about it. How could all their information be leaked?”

As Finnick walked to the podium at the front of the meeting room, everyone began to quieten down. After there was silence, he spoke, “First, I want to confess that I was the one who divulged the news. For that, I would like to apologize.”

Once he finished, the directors began to complain again.

“Finnick, what is the meaning of that? Are you the only person running the company? That is absurd!”

Another director stated, “What were you trying to do? If you want to dig your own grave, you can’t pull us down together!”

“Finnick, you have to give us an explanation.”

Some also complained, “Do you know that the lawyers’ letters sent to our company are piling up? As the president, how can you do that?”

Everyone could not hold back their anger and were wagging their fingers at Finnick. Of course, they had their own suspicions about who was responsible for the news, but they did not expect Finnick to be the person behind it.

“I can’t tell everyone the details, but I can assure all of you that I will turn things around. Please give me some time.” Since it was his fault, Finnick could only patiently apologize to the board of directors.

Although they were enraged, Finnick was still the biggest shareholder of the company. Even if the directors added their shares together, Finnick’s was still more than theirs. Therefore, they could not do anything to him.

Finnick repeatedly guaranteed and reassured the board of directors through the long and meaningless argument before the people started leaving.

“These people usually have nothing to say when I give them their bonuses. Now that the company is in trouble, they are making such a big fuss,” Noah fumed after the directors left the room.

“That is human nature. Besides, it is my fault.” Tiredly, Finnick massaged his temples and closed his eyes, falling into deep thought.

How can we get through this?

It was already the next day when Vivian found out about what happened to Finnor Group. As she was too tired in the past two days, she kept drifting back to sleep and did not notice what was happening on the internet.

Only on the way to the bathroom, she coincidentally overheard two nurses talking about Finnor Group.

When she heard Finnick’s name being mentioned, Vivian stopped to eavesdrop.

“How long do you think the Finnor Group can survive?”

“I guess it won’t be long before they go bankrupt. I have a cousin working there, and I heard that someone leaked their customers’ details. In the past, I was jealous that she could work in such a good company. Now, I’m afraid she would lose her job,” the other nurse replied.

“It is such a big company, and it is hard to imagine that they would go down like that. Did you see how the Finnor Group’s stock prices dived over the past two days? Luckily, I sold them early. Otherwise…”

Vivian could not hear them anymore as they walked further away. However, the news she heard was enough to give her a shock. What is going on at Finnick’s company?

Hurriedly, Vivian returned to her ward and started to search about Finnor Group on the internet.

She saw titles like ‘Trust in Finnor Group is faltering’, ‘How can Finnor Group avoid going into bankruptcy?’, ‘Finnick denies that Finnor Group is going bankrupt’, ‘Finnor Group has entered talks of bankruptcy’…

Looking at the headlines about Finnor Group on various social media platforms, Vivian widened her mouth in disbelief. How did things turn out like this?

Picking a random article, Vivian read through the contents.

As previously announced, there was leaked information about Finnor Group’s clients. It put the company in an unprecedented crisis where their clients are starting to question their trust. Today, we interviewed a director from Finnor Group. According to him…

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“How did the information get leaked?” Vivian mindlessly muttered after she finished the article. She ever wrote such news, so she knew how much such incidents could impact a company. Besides, there was a leakage of all their clients’ details.

Isn’t such information prioritised as the top-secret? How can Finnick be so careless?

Vivian continued to scroll, reading the netizens comments.

Finnor Group is unreliable now. After all, they failed to protect their customers’ details. What kind of defence system do they even have in place? How infuriating!

What? I’m going crazy. The sudden news caused their stock prices to hit rock bottom. I can’t even sell them now. I want to demand compensation!

Out of all the other companies, this is the first time I heard a leakage of all the clients’ information. I would like to concede to Finnor Group.

Look at Finnick, who insists that everything is alright. If it is, you should put measures in place for the investors. What the hell are you doing?

It was difficult for me to cooperate with Finnor Group. At first, we thought we could profit from it. Now, I want compensation, but who should I go to?

The more Vivian read, the more disappointed she was when she realized that majority of the comments were negative. Most were criticizing Finnor Group for being untrustworthy, and none stood out to support the company.

She grew worried for Finnick. Given such a situation, he must be busy trying to salvage it. Yet, why did he not tell her about it? This can’t do. I have to look for him.

Having made up her mind, Vivian quickly changed out of her hospital gown and ran out of the ward with her hospital slippers. She did not make it far when she accidentally knocked into a person as she turned the corner.

“I’m so sorry!” Vivian repeatedly apologized, then she ran off without taking a good look at who he was.

Unexpectedly, the man grabbed her wrist and sternly chided, “Where are you heading to?”

Hearing that familiar voice, Vivian snapped around immediately.

“Finnick!”

Looking at Vivian’s anxious expression, Finnick unhappily commented, “You have not fully recovered, so how could you run out of the hospital like that? What happens if your wound reopens?”

At that time, Vivian could not care less about that. She grabbed Finnick and directly interrogated him, “Finnick, what happened to the company? Why is there a leak in the customers’ accounts?”

Instantly, Finnick’s face fell when he heard Vivian mention the company. “You have heard about it.”

“Yes. Why didn’t you tell me about it? I was in horror when I read about it earlier. How did that happen?” Vivian wanted to hear the whole story from Finnick.

Ignoring her question, Finnick helped her to her ward. “You should rest instead of worrying about such things.”

“How can I not worry about it? It is your company, of course…”

“Listen to me!” Finnick scolded.

Vivian did not rebut and obediently followed him to her ward, seeing the fierce expression on his face. Occasionally, she would cast worried looks in his direction.

After Finnick helped her to the bed, he pulled the blanket over her body. “Have a good rest.”

“Finnick, I…” Vivian wanted to go on about Finnor Group but was afraid to anger Finnick. Momentarily, she was unsure of whether to ask more about it.

Finnick could see the concern in Vivian’s eyes, and he knew that it was not a good idea to keep things from her. Therefore, he made up an explanation, “There were loopholes in Finnor Group’s network. Therefore, hackers got to it, causing the leakage.”

He did not want Vivian to know the truth behind it. If she found out, she would be haunted by guilt though nothing can be changed at that point.

Besides, he did not want her to recall what happened. Perhaps, the doctor was right that her memory loss was for the better.

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Vivian accepted Finnick’s explanation without a trace of doubt in her expression.

Taking his hands into hers, Vivian realized that she did not know what to say or how she could comfort him. She could only grip his hands firmly, hoping that it would give him some strength to pull through it.

Having figured what Vivian was doing, Finnick tapped her hand. “It’s alright. I will sort it out, and you don’t have to worry. Right now, your health should be your utmost priority.”

A wave of emotions surged through Vivian’s veins, hearing Finnick’s words of concern. Feeling touched and hurt for him, she got up to hug him and whispered, “Of course. Everything will turn out fine.”

“Yes, it will.” Finnick returned her hug.

In the past two days, he had been out and about, trying to settle the dispute among his clients. He also had to fork out the time to meet with the reporters, and it was physically and mentally draining, to say the least. Being in Vivian’s arms made his stress melt away in an instant.

For a long time, the two of them stayed in the same position. At some point, Vivian realised that Finnick was putting more weight on her, as though he was about to crush her.

“Finnick,” she softly called out when she could not hold him up any longer. However, there was no response.

“Finnick?” There was no response again. Raising her head to look in Finnick’s direction, Vivian was amused to see the man sleeping.

Cautiously, Vivian leaned back and allowed Finnick to lay on the bed. After she covered him with a blanket, she caressed his face with her heart aching for him. Looking at how he was fast asleep, he was probably tired out from the past two days.

Afraid that she would wake him up, Vivian retracted her hand and quietly stayed beside him.

On the other hand, Evelyn and Mark were meeting at a hidden restaurant.

“Hmph, you gave me your promise at that time, but looking at how things turned out, it seems like you aren’t that reliable after all. Vivian still managed to escape,” Mark mockingly stated.

Evelyn paid no attention to his sarcasm and responded, “Even if so, haven’t you achieved your goal?”

“Well, who knew that Finnick and Vivian’s relationship was that strong? I can’t believe that he was willing to do that for her. I don’t think you stand a chance anymore.” This time, Mark was not deliberately making fun of her.

As a man, he knew how much a career would mean to Finnick. If he was willing to sacrifice that for her, there was no way he would abandon her for Evelyn.

“Is that right? Mr. Norton, I think it’s still too early to say that.” Lifting her glass of water, Evelyn took a sip from it.

Her indifferent expression made Mark curious. “Do you happen to have another plan in mind?”

Setting the glass back on the table, Evelyn slowly uttered, “It doesn’t matter whether Vivian was truly molested as long as Finnick believes that it is true.”

“You have a plan to make him believe it?” Mark pressed on.

“Of course.” She let out a light chuckle. With her eyes filled with menace, she continued, “I told Finnick that my brother and I saved her. Furthermore, I also said that when we arrived, she was already touched by the men.”

“He believed you?” Mark was somewhat surprised. Vivian was not stupid and would tell her husband if that was not true. Would Finnick still misunderstand the situation then?

“I spent some money to bribe a doctor and settled it,” Evelyn proudly announced. “Having been through a traumatic experience, she had selective memory loss. Mr. Norton, what do you think about this reason?”

Impressed, Mark looked at Evelyn, surprised that she had so many tricks up her sleeves.

“As long as there is a thorn in Finnick’s heart, the gap between them will only grow. When the time comes, no matter what I do, Finnick would willingly pull himself away from her,” Evelyn predicted.

Mark nodded, listening to what Evelyn said. Inwardly, he was giving her a big thumbs up for the idea. She is brilliant and can turn the false into the truth. I can’t believe she even tricked a clever man like Finnick. It looks like I should be careful when I work with her in the future.

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“Mr. Norton, you look like you are in a good mood. It must be because something good happened to you. The fall in Finnor Group’s share price must be good news to you,” Evelyn pointed out.

“Of course, it is wonderful news to me.” At the mention of it, Mark could not help but smile. “However, I have greater plans than that.”

“Oh?” Evelyn was interested to hear what Mark meant by that. “What are you planning to do next?”

“You’ll find out.” Mark clearly did not want to divulge it to Evelyn.

“You cunning man,” Evelyn silently spats. It doesn’t matter anyway. As long as he can help me, I will let him do whatever he wants to.

“There is something that I still can’t seem to figure,” Mark mentioned while looking in Evelyn’s direction.

“What is it?”

“Based on your logic, you must still have feelings for Finnick. If so, why are you helping me to go against him? When his company collapses, won’t you feel bad for him?” Mark questioned.

“Why would I feel bad about his company?” With disdain, Evelyn continued, “I only want Finnick. As long as I can take him away from Vivian, his company’s plight doesn’t matter.”

Mark was shocked to hear how cruel she was. How is that considered love for Finnick? It seems like she is only jealous that he has someone else he loves by his side now. Therefore, she wants to get him back.

After discussing their next plan, they fell into a moment of silence, each with their secret agendas. Soon after, they went their separate ways.

Fully recovered from a week of staying in the hospital, Vivan could finally get discharged.

As Finnick had an important meeting, he ordered Noah to take Vivian home instead.

That night, Finnick returned home past midnight. When he opened the bedroom door, he found Vivian fast asleep.

Quietly, he took out his clothes and walked to the bedside. Then, he slowly lifted the blanket to lie down but unintentionally woke Vivian up instead.

“You’re back,” Vivian groggily stated while rubbing her eyes. When he did not return home by eleven, she thought he had to stay in the office all night to work.

“Yes. I’m sorry to wake you up,” Finnick apologized, gently caressing Vivian’s face.

Seeing the apologetic expression on his face and the tiredness in his eyes, a surge of sadness and love ran through Vivian’s body.

She wrapped her arms around Finnick’s neck and took the initiative to kiss him.

Finnick was momentarily stunned but then reacted by hugging Vivian’s waist and deepening the kiss.

Previously, Vivian was in a cold war with him before she landed up in the hospital. It had been long since they shared a passionate kiss.

Aroused by Vivian, Finnick’s hand slowly reached under her pyjamas, and his cool touch made her shiver.

“Finnick…” She could not help but yelp.

Hearing that, Finnick suddenly stopped and turned to look at Vivian. However, Vivian could not understand the look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I forgot that you just got out of the hospital,” Finnick apologized after a moment of silence.

“Oh? No, I…” Vivian wanted to say she was fine but was embarrassed, and she ended up stopping her sentence midway.

“I need to take a shower. You should go to sleep first.” Finnick went to the bathroom after patting Vivian’s head.

In bed, Vivian was puzzled. It ended like that? After his shower, Finnick only hugged Vivian to sleep and did nothing else.

In the next few days, Vivian sensed that there was something different about Finnick. Although he was warm to her, they were not as intimate as before. Sometimes she would drop obvious hints, but he would not go along with it.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 430

Seeing how Finnick reacted, Vivian’s emotions were in a complete mess. She was confused, while waves of sorrow washed over her as she felt wronged. Could it be that… Finnick’s tired of me?

No. That’s not it!

Vivian consoled herself as she believed in the man. Maybe he’s worried about my well-being since I was just discharged.

Finnick went to work early in the morning, while Vivian was reluctant to get up as she lay on the bed. In fact, she had trouble falling asleep these days.

Staring blankly into space, she didn’t move and lay there for about an hour. Then, she got up and took her laptop.

Opening her internet browser, she wasn’t sure what to search for. It was her first time seeking help from the internet about her relationship, so she was embarrassed. She felt warm and quickly fanned her face.

Heaving two breaths, Vivian typed: Why is my husband cold to me?

After that, she clenched her teeth and quickly pressed the Enter key.

She had never searched for these types of questions on the internet before, so she was surprised to see a bunch of interesting yet unique comments popping out.

He’s tired of you, as you’ve aged.

Be wary of him having mistresses. He may be cheating on you.

Look at yourself in the mirror before asking.

Reading the netizens’ answers, Vivian compared them with her situation. Soon, she reached the bottom of the page. After reading the last comment, she felt frustrated and closed her laptop. What are all these? None of them explains our situation.

After pondering for a while, she opened her laptop again and key-in a new sentence in the search bar: How do I attract my husband?

Fortunately, the answers this time weren’t as absurd. Instead, they made Vivian blush as she learnt about the tricks and tips from the comments. I see. So everyone’s like this at home.

In the end, Vivian heeded the suggestion of a netizen: Buy sexy lingerie to attract his attention.

She tried to imagine herself seducing Finnick, but she couldn’t picture it in her mind no matter what.

Vivian wasn’t bold enough to buy lingerie in a shop, so she ordered one online. Under the customer service’s enthusiastic recommendation, she bought the best seller from the shop.

After telling the customer service her height and weight, the customer service replied to her: You have such a nice body. Your husband won’t hold back after seeing you in our lingerie.

An image surfaced in Vivian’s mind immediately as she read the reply. Feeling embarrassed, she didn’t reply and quickly made the payment before exiting the page.

After she was done with everything, Vivian was drenched in sweat as she was nervous, so she went for a bath.

In midst of apprehension, her parcel finally arrived.

Opening the parcel, she was shocked. It’s so revealing! Is there any difference between wearing this and being naked?

During dinner, Finnick noticed something was amiss. Vivian’s gaze was fixed on her food while she stayed silent all the time, and she didn’t even spare him a glance. It was as if she was avoiding him.

“Vivian, are you upset today?” Finnick was worried about her acting strange.

“Oh?” Vivian was surprised as she lifted her head to look at him and hurriedly replied, “No, not at all. I’m not upset or anything.”

“That’s good.” The man continued eating his food.

“Yeah.” After replying to her husband briefly, Vivian lowered her head and focused on eating her food.

Looking at Vivian, Finnick was confused, as the woman seemed like she was always in a daze, but he didn’t drag on the matter any further.

After showering, Vivian stared at the lingerie she bought and couldn’t make up her mind if she should wear it. However, thinking about her aim, she gritted her teeth and changed into it.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Vivian felt embarrassed, but she was satisfied with how it turned out.

Taking a few deep breaths, Vivian mustered her courage and exited the washroom. Then, she ran into the washroom almost instantly. “I can’t do this. How do I face Finnick wearing this?” Covering her flushed face, Vivian’s courage melted away.