CHAPTER 178: CHAPTER 178: I JUST WANTED TO SEE YOU

Half a year later.

Shannon Quinn had completely adapted to the environment here, and her work was going smoothly.

In the past half year, Vincent Rhodes had contacted her several times, sent a few text messages, and made one phone call.

She never replied to the texts, and when she answered the call, she simply asked him not to contact her again.

She wasn’t sure if she was being too heartless, but she really didn’t want to get entangled in those matters anymore.

Besides, she felt that only by not contacting each other, by not knowing anything about each other’s lives, could they truly let go of the past. She wasn’t the only one who needed to start a new life.

"Ding dong—"

A WeChat message popped up on her phone: "Shannon, make some time this afternoon to come to the office. A client has specifically asked to see you."

The message was from her boss, Liam Sterling, a man in his early thirties who was good friends with Aidan Lockwood. He was easy to talk to and very understanding, much like Aidan.

Shannon Quinn finished washing the baby bottles, shook the water from her hands, pressed the button on her phone, and asked, "What time?"

"Two o’clock."

After putting Leo to sleep in the afternoon, she tidied up a bit and went out.

Half a month after arriving here, she hired a nanny since she couldn’t handle both work and childcare alone.

The nanny was recommended by Liam—an industrious and honest middle-aged woman who had become like family to Shannon.

As soon as Shannon walked into the company, she felt something was off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but everyone seemed much more enthusiastic than usual.

"Director Quinn, you’re here?"

Shannon nodded and casually asked the receptionist, "Is there some event happening at the company today?"

"Nope."

"Why does everyone seem so excited?"

"Hey, it’s because a big client is here. I heard they have quite a reputation. Everyone’s waiting to catch a glimpse!"

Shannon couldn’t help but be puzzled. It’s just a client, why all the secrecy?

"Director, here’s the summary report from the morning meeting. I’ve sorted it out." As soon as she entered the office, her assistant followed her in, with a pile of things waiting for Shannon to handle.

"Just leave it on the table for now. What about the client info?"

The assistant was stunned for a moment, then responded, "There’s none. It’s all very secretive. It’s a last-minute decision for them to come. It must be a big client; otherwise, the boss wouldn’t have scheduled them without the usual appointment process."

Shannon glanced at the time on her phone, unable to guess which client could be so significant.

After organizing some documents in the office for a while, about ten minutes later, the assistant rushed in, knocking: "Director, the boss wants you in the conference room. It seems the client has arrived, and I heard he’s quite the handsome guy!"

Having been divorced from Vincent Rhodes, Shannon wasn’t very interested in whether someone was handsome or not.

She followed the assistant to the conference room and just happened to run into two girls delivering tea, whispering excitedly, "He’s really handsome, I didn’t expect to see him in person!"

"Yeah, good-looking and knows how to make money. A man like that, wonder who’s lucky enough to have him."

In the midst of their gossiping, one of them noticed Shannon approaching and immediately stopped, saying, "Hello, Director."

Shannon nodded slightly and asked, "Is the boss in there too?"

"Only Mr. Sutton is inside. The boss went to an event and won’t be back for a while."

"Mr. Sutton?" Shannon murmured, thinking to herself that it must be a coincidence.

The assistant opened the door and stepped aside to let her in first.

Just as she reached the door, she stopped in her tracks.

"Director, what’s wrong?"

Shannon locked eyes with the man inside for two seconds, then composed herself and replied calmly, "Nothing."

There were two people in the conference room—one was the staff from the company assigned to handle the meeting, and the other was the so-called big client—Landon Sutton.

"Director Quinn, you’re here? Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Landon Sutton, I’m sure you’ve heard of him."

Before Shannon could say anything, Landon looked at her and said, "I’ve heard about you too, Miss Quinn. I specially came because of your reputation today."

"Then I suppose you two know each other now. Mr. Sutton, feel free to share any thoughts or requests you have. I’m confident that Director Quinn will provide you with a satisfactory proposal."

"I believe so too." Landon said, glancing at Shannon again. Seeing that she didn’t look very well, he paused and continued, "You all go ahead with your work. I’d like to have a private chat with Miss Quinn."

The assistant and the person in charge exchanged a glance, then looked at Shannon. Shannon pondered for two seconds before saying, "You can go ahead."

"Alright, I’ll be waiting outside. Let me know if you need anything."

The two left together, closing the conference room door, leaving the room strangely silent.

"Are you used to it here?" After a long silence, Landon asked her.

Shannon looked down at the glass of water in front of her, then looked up at him, answering a question with a question, "If you’re here for the child, then..."

"I came for you," he interrupted her cold remarks.

Shannon was taken aback, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Landon laughed, a hint of self-mockery in his voice, "I know you don’t want me here, and I didn’t want to disturb your current life, but I’ve realized—without any restraints—I can’t stop myself from wanting to see you."

"I’ve been on vacation for half a month. I’ve tried for half a month not to come find you, yet every day I’ve been trying to find out about you, and in the end, I couldn’t hold back."

Shannon frowned slightly, unsure how to respond.

She held onto her rationality and was determined.

"I’ve finally broken free from my past life, and I really enjoy this peaceful life now. I beg you, don’t stir things up again. Give the child a stable upbringing, alright?"

Listening to her words, Landon felt a pang in his heart.

"I just wanted to see you."

"Forget about me, just pretend we’ve never met. You don’t need to feel guilty. No one is at fault. It’s my own choice. Live your life well."

"And what about you?" Landon asked cautiously, "Have you met anyone suitable?"

His tone was casual, yet it sounded like he feared knowing the answer.

Shannon didn’t answer immediately, feeling a bit strange inside.

She also figured out what she truly wanted in her heart. She wasn’t sure if she was waiting for him.

Currently, she was entirely focused on her child and her work, not even considering finding another man.

But she didn’t share these thoughts with Landon. To let him completely give up, she replied, "I will."

Landon smiled, a bit relieved and a bit lonely.

"It’s okay to remarry, but make sure he’s someone good to both you and the child."

"Hmm."

Amidst the silence, she heard his muffled voice say, "Actually, I really want you to wait for me to come back. Whether or not you’re willing is one thing; whether I can come back is another. So, I don’t want to be selfish anymore. If you meet a good man... marry him."