Helen’s POV:
I whirled around and looked out the window. But there was no one on the rooftop of the building across
the street. Lights on many floors were still on. It was a stark difference from the darkness I saw in my
dream. I took in a few calming breaths and faced George with the most serene expression I could
manage.
“I‘m sorry. I think I sleepwalked.” George didn‘t reply verbally. He grabbed my arm and walked me back
to the bedroom.
When we got inside, he turned me around gently and enveloped me in a hug. It didn‘t even occur to me
to resist the hug. Safe within George‘s protective arms, I finally relaxed and my heart rate slowed as he
rubbed soothing circles on my back.
It was my father. The man in my nightmares lately turned out to be no one else but my father.
I had never dreamt of him since he passed away. To be exact, I didn‘t see my father in my dream but as
an illusion. Thanks to my own very vivid imaginations, I didn‘t sleep a wink the rest of that night.
When I caught sight of the first ray of dawn, I quickly got out of bed and abandoned any pretense of
sleep. After dressing up for the day, I walked out to find that George had prepared a simple breakfast for
me.
Once we were done with breakfast, we left for work together. On my way to the subway station, I realized
that George had parked randomly at the roadside last night and never moved his car. Now, he not only
got a ticket, but his car was also blocked.
“No parking is allowed here,” I said hesitantly as I looked at his car.
George called his assistant and told him to handle the car and the ticket. Without a word to each other,
we both walked in the direction of the subway station. As we crossed the road, George held my hand.
But after we got to the other side, he didn‘t let go and I didn‘t remove my hand from his. And that was
how we remained until we got to the subway. Hand in hand.
On the subway, I was very nervous. Each time I looked out of the window or when the train passed
through a tunnel, I would unconsciously close my eyes.
All of a sudden, George grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face him. “Helen, let me take
you to the hospital,” he stated in a voice awash with concern.
“No, that‘s not necessary. I just feel a little down, that‘s all.” The lie passed through my lips seamlessly.
“Do you need to take medication for it?” George asked.
The doctor said I‘m fine for now. If it becomes more serious or I feel I can‘t handle it, I will go to the
hospital again.” Even as I blatantly lied to George‘s face, my voice didn‘t waver nor did my expression
falter.
The truth was that I not only needed to take medication, I also needed psychological intervention.
However, I had been too busy in recent weeks to spare enough time to go to the hospital. And I doubted
that my condition was that serious in any case. I just couldn‘t understand. I had gone through the hardest
and darkest days in the past.
Now everything was heading towards the right direction. How could I suddenly start having mental
breakdowns? However, George was still worried about me.
“I‘ll go to the hospital with you next time.”
“Okay,” I agreed absent–mindedly. Judging from my current state, I probably really needed to see a
doctor soon.
“Are you busy with the acquisition case of the Spacetime Finance?” George‘s deep voice came from
above my head again.
“How did you know?” I looked up at him in surprise. George chuckled.
“I guessed. Can you handle it yourself?”
“Sure.”
This was the first time that I would be in charge of a case by myself. I had faced a lot of difficulties since
undertaking the case. So far, I had only met Korbin once.
Although Korbin was in charge of the acquisition project, his assistant had informed me that the person
who made the final decision was the CEO of Spacetime Finance. However, I couldn‘t find any relevant
information on this CEO despite my numerous searches on the Internet. I didn‘t know what to do next,
but I didn‘t want to discuss my work with George. I wanted to prove that I could do my work without his
help.
“If you encounter any difficulties regarding Spacetime Finance, you can ask Kendal for help,” George
informed me in a low voice.
“Kendal? What‘s his relationship with the Spacetime Finance?” I asked in surprise.
When I met George‘s deep–set eyes, I suddenly remembered that Korbin‘s assistant had mentioned that
the surname of the CEO of Spacetime Finance was Collins. Kendal‘s last name was also Collins. Since
George had mentioned Kendal‘s name on purpose, then the two of them must be related.
“Kendal‘s uncle owns Spacetime Finance,” George answered simply. And that was when I finally
understood what he was driving at. He wanted me to use my relationship with Kendal to smooth my way
in winning over the case.
A flush covered my face instantly. I felt embarrassed at the thought of asking Kendal for help. Because
of Cece, I had been very cold to him all these years.
If I suddenly went to him because I needed his help, he would get the impression that I just wanted to
exploit him for his connections.
“Helen, you should make good use of your connections. You can ask him for help, and he will probably
also ask you for help. It‘s called mutual benefits,” George admonished, having seen through my
thoughts.
“Me? Why would he need my help? Is it about Cece? But I will always be on Cece‘s side, so I won‘t be
able to help him.”
“Even if you don‘t help him with Cece, Kendal will help you once he knows that you are working on the
Spacetime Finance case. If he finds out from someone else that you bore all the pressure and difficulties
alone without asking him for help, he is going to think that you not only looked down on him but also
didn‘t trust him to help a friend. It‘s up to you. I‘ll support you no matter what kind of decision you make.”
Everything George said was completely reasonable. In the past, Kendal had taken good care of Cece
and me for the sake of our friendship, so it was true that he would be upset if he found out that I didn‘t
seek him out when I knew he could help me. When I went back to the law firm and put down my bag, the
first thing I did was to call Cece.
If I wanted to ask Kendal for help, I had to get Cece‘s approval first. Cece couldn‘t help laughing after
hearing what I said.
“Helen, what are you thinking about? I‘ve told you before that if you want to be successful, you have to
make use of all the resources and connections you can get in New York. Although Kendal is a total
asshole, he is no worse than George in terms of social connections. If he can be of help to you, then you
should definitely make the best use of him. You don‘t have to worry about anything else.”
“So you don‘t object to me reaching out for his help, do you?”
“Why should I object? You can use as much of Kendal‘s resources as you can. Although I have nothing
to do with him now, he is a reliable man as a friend. He won‘t refuse to help you just because of our
personal grudge.”
After listening to Cece‘s words, I called Kendal with a light heart and invited him to have a meal with me.
When he realized that it was about the Spacetime Finance, Kendal said briskly, “If you had told me
earlier, I could have saved you a lot of trouble. It‘s not a big deal. I‘ll take you to see him.”
He drove a very eye–catching Wrangler and took me straight to Spacetime Finance. The price of the
Wrangler might not match his noble status, but the car was a good match for his unruly temperament.
“How about another day? I haven‘t made any preparation in advance. It seems too hasty. I think I should
discuss this with Miss Pierce and bring her along when I visit him.” I was afraid that I would screw it up if
I went to see the CEO on a whim.
“It doesn‘t matter. He always listens to me. I‘ll take you there so that you can familiarize yourself with
him. You don‘t have to say anything,” Kendal said confidently.
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