CHAPTER 220: CHAPTER 220: IVAN UNDERWOOD’S ENCOURAGEMENT

It wasn’t my original intention to invite Henry Preston for a meal, but since he had already picked up his chopsticks, I swallowed back the words I was about to say.

He had indeed come to help me today, and even ordered a sumptuous meal for me, very considerate.

I lowered my gaze, picked up some food, and ate, trying my best to ignore Henry’s presence. He’s usually quiet while eating, and we ate in silence.

Halfway through, Henry’s phone rang "ding-dong ding-dong," indicating several messages had been sent to him.

He glanced at it and showed the familiar look of impatience, so I guessed it was either Azure Vaughn, or Rosalind Sutton.

"Henry, you should go take care of your business," I seized the opportunity and said.

"I’m not busy, let’s eat," Henry peeled a shrimp and put it in my bowl, answering nonchalantly.

Looking at the white shrimp in my bowl, I felt conflicted. The current relationship between us isn’t quite this ambiguous.

So I picked up the shrimp and returned it to Henry. He gave me a meaningful glance, "Disgusted by me?"

I shook my head to deny, "No, I just don’t feel like eating shrimp."

He mirrored the clarity of a knowing mind and said nothing more, merely ate the shrimp.

Just as we were about to finish the meal, Henry’s phone rang again. This time it was a call, and I unintentionally glanced at it—it was from someone labeled "Nuisance."

The term "Nuisance" suddenly struck me as quite ambiguous, but it absolutely didn’t refer to Azure.

Henry glanced at the phone and rejected the call, while I looked away and continued to eat quietly.

"I’ll clean up," I said as I saw Henry preparing to clear the table, now feeling a bit relieved, probably because the fever had subsided somewhat.

"I’ll do it," Henry ignored me, easily packing the unfinished food into the trash, then carefully taking the trash out.

He wasn’t as agitated as last night, maintaining a calm demeanor throughout, but I couldn’t quite relax.

After Henry left, I went upstairs, tidied up, and set off for the hospital.

As the car passed by Henry’s house, I turned my head and saw him talking on the phone in the yard. Instinct told me it was probably the "Nuisance" again.

Henry also noticed my car; we looked at each other through the car windows, each other’s expressions somewhat unclear.

Midway, my phone rang. Taking a glance when I had the chance, it was Ivan Underwood calling.

My heart sank; I had just started to feel a bit toward him last night, but today the thought was dispelled by that woman’s voice.

Does this count as jealousy? I’m not even sure myself.

Pondering it, I didn’t answer the call, nor did I plan to return it, just continued driving to the hospital, where Crystal Dawson had given birth to a pair of twins, entirely engulfed in immense joy.

In the deluxe maternity room, surrounded by five or six people, were Crystal’s parents, in-laws, as well as Silas Lockwood, and a few relatives, while the two little babies were sleeping soundly in their cradles.

"Zoe, you’re here! Look, I actually gave birth to two humans!" Crystal greeted me excitedly the moment she saw me, "I’m amazing, even the doctor said natural childbirth for twins is challenging, but I did it!"

"Incredible!" I walked over, gently hugged Crystal, and then took out a thick red envelope, handing it to her, "Here’s your reward, fantastic job!"

Crystal happily accepted the envelope, absolutely overjoyed, "Go see my kids, they’re so adorable!"

Yet, she suddenly hesitated, a flash of awkwardness and unease crossing her face, probably because she remembered I had once lost a child, worried it might stir up feelings.

I smiled and went over to look at the two little darlings. Indeed, they were so adorable, rosy and soft. They might not be chubby, but they were very beautiful.

Silas stood nearby, grinning foolishly at his pair of children.

I gently touched the tiny hands of the babies, so small and soft, almost boneless; my heart melted, but I also felt a pang of sadness.

Crystal and I had been pregnant around the same time; if my child were still here, I would be due soon too.

I held back my emotions, took out two more large red envelopes, along with two pairs of gold bracelets I bought on the way, laying them beside the twins.

"Thank you!" Silas realized and quickly thanked me.

I smiled, "I’m their aunt, after all; I must treat them well!"

I have no children and will probably remain childless for life, but I can treat my friends’ children as my own.

I continued to keep Crystal company for a while until I received a call from the company assistant, speaking in an urgent tone, "Mr. Hathaway, you should come over, there’s an issue at the company!"

Since my mom had been hospitalized unconscious, I naturally became "Mr. Hathaway."

"Alright, I’ll be there right away." My heart sank as I bade farewell to Crystal and headed to the company.

Upon arriving at the office, I found a few company shareholders waiting for me. Their intent was simple—they doubted my ability to handle the company’s responsibilities and hoped I would relinquish some of my mom’s shares to them to share the risk.

This was, of course, impossible. I engaged with them for a good while, leaving me utterly exhausted.

By the time it was late afternoon and everyone else had left, I remained seated in the office, unmoving for quite some time.

"Ring, ring..." The landline phone rang; it was an internal line from the reception.

"Mr. Hathaway, Ivan Underwood is here, says he needs to see you. Would you like to meet him?" asked the receptionist.

Ivan actually came to see me at the office, so I rubbed my brow and replied, "Let him come up."

Five minutes later, Ivan’s figure appeared as the office door opened. Since returning to the company, his dressing style had changed, looking more formal, more business-like, but one couldn’t deny that his appearance looked good in anything. He closed the door, coming up to me, "Been busy? I tried calling you back, but there was no answer."

I glanced at my phone and then poured Ivan a cup of tea, "Sit down and have some tea first."

He looked at me, sighed helplessly, and sat down on the sofa.

Seated opposite him, there was a long silence in the gaze we exchanged. He was likely here to explain the matter of the phone call this morning.

"When you called me this morning, I was about to go into a meeting, so the call was taken by someone else. She and I have no relationship—you might have misunderstood and that’s why you didn’t want to talk to me, right?" Ivan wasn’t even drinking the tea, he just wanted to settle this matter.

"Who is she then?" I thought it best to clear things up right away. I’ve been quite busy lately, having unresolved issues on my mind would only add to my frustration.

Ivan’s eyes flickered slightly, and he replied rather simply, "A friend. She happened to visit the company this morning and answered your call. After that, my phone ran out of battery and turned off; I didn’t know."

This explanation seemed reasonable, yet I didn’t really believe it, possibly due to a woman’s intuition.

"Alright, I see. Actually, I didn’t call for any particular reason, I just wanted to say a few words," I said with a smile.

Ivan seemed a bit skeptical of my explanation, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he asked with a hint of apology, "I won’t let that happen again. Are you done with work? How about we go grab some dinner?"

I wasn’t in the mood for dinner now, just pondering how to resolve the issue with those shareholders earlier.

I shook my head, weary, "No, I want to go home and rest early."

Ivan is an exceptionally smart and perceptive individual; from my response, he sensed something was wrong, "What’s wrong? Did something happen? It’s not just about the call, right?"

I hesitated and, after a moment of silence, recounted what had happened in the afternoon.

Upon learning about my company’s dire situation, Ivan frowned, "They’re deliberately trying to force your aunt to give up shares, weakening her position."

Of course, I knew that; what troubled me was how to resolve it.

Those shareholders said that if I want to prove my capability, I need to compete with Astral Company for the same counter supplier; if I secure it, they’ll withdraw their demands.

"Then prove yourself; I’m willing to help with any issues," Ivan took my hand and spoke earnestly, "Aunt Hathaway will need to slowly step back from the company eventually, and it’ll ultimately be up to you to take charge, so why not challenge yourself now, alright?"

Ivan’s encouragement was quite motivating for me, not only do I wish to prove myself, but I also want to suppress Astral Company, as a response to their provocation.

I nodded, "Yes, I’ll give it a try."

With the decision made, I felt somewhat relieved, and upon seeing that, Ivan suggested going for dinner once again.

This time, I didn’t refuse, "Alright, let’s go!"