Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 55

Zachary hadn't arrived yet, so Audrina sat alone in the cafe for a while.

Promising to go to the hospital for a checkup a few days ago was just her way of stalling for time.

Now that she knew exactly what he was plotting, things were much easier.

Even though Zachary had promised to send her the financial reports in a few days, who knew if someone had tampered with them?

Audrina had only brought it up casually last night to test the waters.

But now she had Zachary right by the throat...

About half an hour later, a Maybach pulled up smoothly in front of the cafe.

Audrina opened the door, slid in, and fastened her seatbelt.

Zachary kept one hand on the steering wheel and asked, "Who were you getting coffee with?"

"A friend from the station. We were just going over some work stuff," Audrina replied.

Zachary gave a low hum and didn't press further. He just said, "Since we're preparing for a baby, you should cut back on the coffee."

"I know."

...

The VIP inpatient ward of Kingshire's most expensive private hospital.

Sebastian's uncle, Felix Hawthorne, was leaning against the hospital bed getting an IV drip, though he looked perfectly healthy and glowing.

When Sebastian walked into the room, his uncle was staring at his phone.

Upon seeing his nephew, Felix immediately flipped the screen face down.

Sebastian cast a passing glance. "What are you hiding?"

Felix kept his face perfectly blank. "A text from my wife."

"Right." Sebastian pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his long legs and leaning back.

He didn't bother exposing Felix.

The year Sebastian graduated from high school, Franco and Eleanor laid out the Hawthorne Group's entire business empire in front of him.

They told him to choose between finance or management.

Not once during that entire conversation did they ask, "Son, what do you actually want to do?"

Sebastian had stayed silent for a long time that day, so long that Franco genuinely thought he was giving it serious consideration.

But in the end, he simply stood up and said, "I'm not going to study business."

He was sick and tired of the Hawthorne family dictating every single aspect of his life since he was born.

Fueled by teenage rebellion, he immediately packed up and fled to New York to crash with Uncle Felix.

At the time, Felix took him in, assuming it was just a childish tantrum and that he'd be heading back home soon enough.

Nobody expected him to be so fiercely independent. He made his own choices, studied law, and worked his way up from an intern to a practicing attorney. Later, he founded Everest Law Group abroad, and over the past few years, he had firmly established himself in Kingshire.

Thinking back on it all, Felix felt a mix of immense pride and utter helplessness. He was proud that the kid had made something of himself, but helpless because he was completely unmanageable.