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It took Mark over ten seconds before he finally blurted out a curse, jumped out of bed, slapped his own face to wake up, and frantically dialed Simon’s number.
On the other end, Simon was still dead asleep as he drank the most the night before.
It took Mark five calls to wake Simon up.
Simon’s head was pounding. “… You’d better have a damn good reason for calling me.”
“I pissed off Sebastian…” Mark still felt a lingering jolt of fear.
The group of them had grown up together, thick as thieves, and back then, Sebastian was like the crown prince while Mark had been his number one lackey.
Simon didn’t think it was anything serious. Still half–asleep, he mumbled, “I’ll set something up in a few days. I just invested in a seafood grill restaurant, and it’s opening soon. We can all eat there.”
It wasn’t until Mark awkwardly mentioned Jane’s name that Simon finally snapped awake, pushing himself upright.
After Mark finished talking, Simon went quiet for a long moment.
Mark grew anxious. “Say something, man. Do you think I should just head over to Sebastian’s place and apologize in person? I didn’t mean anything by it. I just… it slipped out.‘
“Mark, you know…” Simon leaned back against the headboard and lit a cigarette. “Back in college, we threw a birthday party for Sebastian before he went abroad, right? Jane showed up that night, and she was right outside the private room. We were all drunk and running our mouths. She heard everything.”
“You’re kidding,” Mark replied.
“I wish I was.”
Then, Mark asked, “Does Sebastian know about this?”
Simon sighed, his head still aching from last night’s drinks. “I never told him,” he replied.
Years had passed, and he was no closer to finding the right words.
Sebastian was the kind of man who, even in his most arrogant, untouchable years, would
never be the first to swallow his pride. Yet, those who knew him could tell when his gaze stayed on someone a beat too long, it meant something.
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That night, Jane never showed up to Sebastian’s party.
It wasn’t until everyone was getting ready to leave that Sebastian called her, asking whether she was still coming. He told her that if she wasn’t coming now, she shouldn’t bother coming
at all.
Jane had said she had something to do and wasn’t coming.
Simon had been sitting right beside him and watched Sebastian’s expression turn cold.
The truth was, Simon knew Jane had come. However, after overhearing what they had said,
she left in tears. He just couldn’t bring himself to tell Sebastian.
“Mark, just… don’t bring up Jane’s name in front of Sebastian anymore. It’s been years.” Back then, Simon had known about their secret relationship.
Because of Gabriella’s mess, the Grants wanted to sweep everything under the rug, so they
told Jane to take the blame and admit to stealing.
At that point, Martha had just gone through open–heart surgery and couldn’t handle any stress. If she had found out Gabriella had been the real thief, it could’ve killed Martha.
And then there was Nicholas–old–fashioned, stern, and raised in a family with strict values. If Gabriella was actually reported to the police for stealing from the class treasury, and the news got out, Nicholas would probably be so angry he’d end up in the hospital.
In reality, Jane had been the victim.
Sebastian had known it too. He had felt guilty about it. Yet, she went and blackmailed him into agreeing to be her boyfriend in college.
Simon knew better than anyone that Sebastian despised being threatened. Sebastian had no other options but to say yes to Jane.
Unfair as it was to Jane, maybe that was Sebastian’s way of making it right.
It was a kind of trade–off.
Then, Mark asked, “Simon, do you have her contact info? I want to apologize to Jane. I was such an idiot back then… If what we said really was what she overheard, and that’s what made her break up with Sebastian…”
Simon said, “No. All I know is that she’s from Cranary in Verdanci District. But the locals say they haven’t seen her in years.”
“Wait, where? Did you say Cranary?” As he spoke, Mark walked into his father, Eric Davidson’s, study. The desk was covered in documents and files.
Mark told Simon to stay on the line. After rummaging through the piles, he finally found the
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Cranary Relocation Agreement.
Most of the people from Cranary had already signed the agreement–except for a few stubborn holdouts who refused to leave.
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Davidson Group’s Q2 development plan included joint projects with Grant Group. The document was signed by Eric, Mallory, and the person in charge of Grant Group’s subsidiary.
The plan was to build a factory at Cranary, and the land deal had been signed. Mark had a fond memory of the project, mainly because the remaining holdouts were elderly locals who refused to sign the agreement or relocate.
He remembered Eric slamming his fist on the table, telling the executives to figure it out. They had to get it done.
Looking at the population list, he saw there were about a dozen households left. Still unsure, he asked Simon, “Which one is Jane’s family?”
Simon thought for a moment before he replied, “Her grandfather’s last name is Crane, and her grandmother’s last name is Jameson.”
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Chapter 164
