Chapter 458 Drunken Man

After Christina returned to her office, she saw the news Rayne had shared with her.

It was a piece of gossip news. She had been so busy lately that she didn’t have the time to check stuff like those.

When she pressed on the link, she saw a picture of Nathaniel and Madison attending at banquet together. Both were dressed elegantly, and the article described how perfect a match they were with each other.

Is Nathaniel doing this intentionally so I’ll see it? Didn’t he say a marital breakdown would affect his company’s stock? In that case, why is he publicly spending time with Madison? I don’t really care about them, but I am worried that Lucas and Camila may be bullied in Scenic Garden Manor. Christina lifted her eyes and ordered, “Set up a meeting with Hadley Corporation.”

Lina nodded. “Will do.”

Hadley Corporation responded quickly and agreed to a meeting tomorrow afternoon at a restaurant near the building.

During the afternoon, Christina brought Lina to a meeting about the signing of a contract.

When they arrived, the people responsible for the project had been drinking red wine.

The moment those people saw Christina, the look in their eyes darkened. One of them jested, “I didn’t expect the new CEO of Gibson Corporation to be that pretty.”

Christina disliked socializing. In the past, when she was just a designer, she could choose to rest and isolate herself whenever she felt like it.

However, things had changed. Gibson Corporation’s well-being had become her responsibility. Hence, she couldn’t reject some socializing events just because she didn’t want to attend them.

Upon entering the room, Christina grinned at the group. “Have you all read the contract? If none of you have issues with it, let’s proceed with the signing.”

“It’s boring that you talk about business the moment you arrive, Ms. Steele. Also, since you’re late, your punishment will be downing three glasses of wine.” A male executive poured a glass of red wine for Christina.

Christina’s expression tensed up as she didn’t want to drink.

Lina grabbed the glass. “Ms. Steele doesn’t really drink, so I’ll do it on her behalf, Mr. White.”

Glancing at her with a raised eyebrow, Pablo White brushed his finger past her cheek. “No need to rush. There’s an order to this.

Your boss should go first, so you shouldn’t take her place.”

With a begrudging smile, Lina withdrew her hand.

Thank goodness I’m not the type to get drunk quickly. A distant look settled in Christina’s eyes. “Let’s all toast to our new friendship”

She wasn’t stupid enough to drink alone.

After consuming three glasses of alcohol, Christina said, “Now that we’ve had a few glasses, how about we sign that contract?”

“Sure, but this is our first time working together. How about we explain the rules to you first?” Pablo’s giddy grin was abruptly replaced by a serious expression.

Anya was the one who discussed the collaboration with them in the past, so Christina wasn’t aware of what the rules were. “Go ahead.”

Pablo’s line of sight circled on Christina’s countenance. “Give us an additional twenty percent commission. You can have half of it. Do you have any problems with that?”

A chill traveled down Christina’s spine. This contract is already highly beneficial to them, yet they still want to take a twenty percent cut as an evenly-split commission. I can’t imagine Anya has been pocketing money from the company. If she has been collecting a rebate from every contract, I can’t imagine how much wealth she has amassed.

Glancing at Lina, she noticed the latter wasn’t surprised. She knows about this, but it’s possible she doesn’t do it as much.

“Is it twenty percent as well in the past? Isn’t that a bit too much?” questioned Christina with a cold look.

Pablo was drunk and didn’t detect anything odd about Christina, so he blurted, “Why would it be? Ms. Gibson did the calculation.”

I see. This is why Anya’s so concerned about my arrival at the company. It’s because her benefits are being affected! The edges of Christina’s lips curved upward. “We’ll do it as it has always been done.”

In response, Pablo laughed and poured her another glass. “That’s more like it! Everyone’s interested in making money. Once you drink this, we’ll be considered good partners in the future.”

Christina raised her wineglass and emptied it. “Can you sign the contract now?”

“Of course.” Without delay, Pablo pulled out his pen and signed the contract Staring at the contract satisfactorily, Christina offered, “This meal is my treat. Please enjoy yourselves.”

She picked up the contract and left immediately.

Outside the building, she handed it to Lina. “Take this back, and don’t tell anyone about what happened tonight.”

“Understood, Ms. Steele.” Lina then left.

Since Christina had some alcohol, she couldn’t drive. So, she called for a driver. Just as she ended the call, her wrist was grabbed by a stranger.

Before she could react, she was dragged into a corner of the hall. “Who are you waiting for, pretty girl?”

The stench of alcohol barged into Christina’s nose, almost causing her to vomit. With a cold voice, she questioned, “Who are you? Did you mistake me for someone else? Let me go!”

The man stuttered, “No, I didn’t. D-Didn’t you promise to take me to the h-hotel across the road? L-Let’s kiss first-”

Forcefully, Christina stomped on the man’s foot, causing him to scream in pain and release his grip on her.

It seems like this drunkard mistook me for someone else. She was rather drunk herself, so after she attacked the man, she felt a little dizzy. In fact, she almost lost her footing.

Afraid the man would pursue her, she gritted her teeth and escaped.

“How dare a woman hit me! Stop right there!” The man chased after her into the parking lot like a maniac.

Due to her high heels, she was running a lot slower than she usually would. She felt as though her blood had frozen as she could still hear the man chasing after her.

After sprinting for nearly three hundred meters, she didn’t have the energy to run anymore. Her lips paled and her brain blanked out due to a lack of oxygen. As a result, she dropped to the ground.

The man became even more agitated after he saw her collapse. Panting, he stopped in front of her. “Aren’t you going to run anymore?”

As much as Christina wanted to crawl back up, she was thoroughly exhausted. There wasn’t even energy left for her to sit up.

A sense of danger washed over her as she watched the man approach her. Then she blacked out.

An evil smile settled on the man’s countenance after he witnessed her passing out.

The next morning, as sunlight landed on Christina’s body, she abruptly woke up.

Immediately, she noticed she was lying on a hotel bed in a clean bathrobe. The first thing she checked was her body, which seemed okay.

The last thing she remembered before fainting was the lecherous man approaching her smugly.