Chapter 50: Pity from Him
Fletcher’s sudden appearance caught me off guard.
And the way he used the word “trouble” was unsettling.
Looking at the situation we were in now, arranging a private meeting with Davina did seem a bit suspicious. Not to mention, Winston and I had set up the whole recording plan for her.
It would be easy to keep things from Davina, but avoiding Fletcher’s scrutiny was another matter entirely.
In an instant, I felt my heart sink with
unease.
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hapter 50: Pity from Him
Thankfully, Davina was quick on her feet. She smiled and played the situation off, “Letch, you misunderstood. I was just having a private meeting with Charlene. It was… it was actually kind of fun.”
She was young, and her lies were still a bit awkward, not quite convincing.
Fletcher noticed this too. He sat down next to Davina, his eyes landing on the recorder on the table. “What’s this?” he asked coldly.
“A gift, Davina jumped in before either Winston or I could speak. “Charlene gave it to me.”
She turned to me with wide eyes, clearly hoping I would back her up.
I had no choice but to go along with her explanation. “Davina’s been with the
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Chapter 50: Pity from Him
company for a while now, even though she hasn’t had the chance to make big contributions, she’s definitely worked hard.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Fletcher mocked, “Ms. Grande, your timing with this gift is truly… interesting.”
And he wasn’t wrong–giving a gift when things were already so tense between Danica and Davina did seem rather intentional.
But I couldn’t exactly confess to Fletcher the true purpose of the recorder, so I could only let the misunderstanding play out.
“Letch, you really misunderstood Charlene,” Davina said sweetly, her voice soft and affectionate. She leaned in closer to him, using a playful tone. “But after thinking it over, I realize I wasn’t entirely right in how I
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Shapter 50: Pity from Him
+5 Points
handled things with Danica.”
She paused, then added firmly, “She’s still my colleague, and so is Charlene. Let’s just let this thing go.”
Davina’s words were filled with an air of magnanimity, as though she was the one making peace, displaying a level of generosity that bordered on the theatrical.
Fletcher gave her a deep, lingering look before turning to me. “Last time, you let her off easy too. But as you can see, some people just keep pushing their luck when you’re too forgiving.”
He was referring to the incident when Danica had openly criticized Davina in front of me.
It was clear that Fletcher wasn’t ready to let this matter slide so easily.
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pter 30: Pity from Him
5 Points)
“Letch,” Winston, who had been silent up until now, spoke up. He said seriously, “The girl is young, and sometimes acts without thinking about the consequences, but she’s working under Lena and Ms. Bates. If this really goes to court, it’s going to hurt both of them. Don’t you think?”
Fletcher let out a cold laugh at the comment. His brown eyes locked onto Winston’s face, and he responded bluntly, “Professor Fleming, are you trying to teach me how to handle things now?”
The air seemed to freeze in that moment, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
I hadn’t expected Fletcher to defend Davina so ruthlessly, without any consideration for the situation. I quickly tried to defuse the tension, “Mr. Lynton, I think you
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Chapter 50: Pity from Him
5 Popta
misunderstood. Winston just wanted to downplay things, he didn’t-”
“Really?” Fletcher interrupted me coldly, a layer of frost in his voice. He turned his gaze toward me, his eyes narrowing. “Ms. Grande, you seem to know Professor Fleming very well.”
suddenly found myself at a loss for words.
Fletcher and Winston, although not close friends, had spent time together at Raven University’s student council. They were acquaintances, at least. Fletcher could take issue with me, but there was no need to direct his anger toward Winston.
But Winston wasn’t angry. Instead, he calmly explained, “Letch, you know that’s not what I meant.”
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“She can pour coffee on Vina today, and tomorrow she’ll throw trash at me,” Fletcher said harshly. “You say she’s young, but she’s an adult now. Why should I tolerate her?”
At this point, I finally understood. Fletcher, deep down, still resented how Danica had “bullied” Davina.
He was so protective of her, he couldn’t see the situation from another perspective.
Even though Davina had already pleaded for leniency, all Fletcher could see was the sweet, benevolent side of her.
A sudden cold feeling gripped my chest as I realized this, and I spoke with genuine sincerity, “Mr. Lynton, is there really no room for negotiation?”
Fletcher shot me a glance, his voice firm.
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“No. Ms. Grande, you’ve already hired a lawyer, haven’t you? Let’s take this to court”
With that, he turned and led Davina away, his back carrying an unmistakable air of finality and coldness.
I hadn’t expected things to escalate to the point of a lawsuit.
Even more surprising was that Fletcher seemed to know everything about our contact with the lawyers.
“This can’t be rushed” Winston said, trying to comfort me before we parted ways. “I’ll consult with a few more people and get back to you once there’s any news.”
I thought back to the way Fletcher and Winston had clashed earlier, and hesitated before replying, “I’ve already troubled you
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om HIM
+5 Points
enough, Winston. I’ll handle the rest from here.”
Winston seemed momentarily taken aback. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before saying, “Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
After sending Winston off, the night had already fallen, and soon after, I received a call from Kaitlyn.
“Come to Vienna Hotel and pick me up…” Her voice was slurred, clearly indicating that she had been drinking. “Just say you urgently need to talk to me.”
Not daring to waste any time, I immediately drove to meet her.
I pushed open the door and saw her, a woman surrounded by three or four men. My heart ached instantly.
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It took me three drinks to finally get her out.
Once we were in the parking garage, Kaitlyn immediately dropped her pretense, grumbling, “If I wasn’t trying to get information on Free Spirit, I wouldn’t have bothered with them. But you–didn’t I say could handle it? Why did you drink?”
I
I felt a pang of unease in my chest. “Next time, make sure you bring me along for these situations.“”
Kaitlyn, sensing my thoughts, leaned in and hugged me. “It’s fine. I can handle a little alcohol. The important thing is, I got the info on Free Spirit.”
She went on to say that two days from now, Free Spirit would make a discreet appearance at their fan meet–and–greet.
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This was huge news for us.
I truly didn’t want to let Danica’s situation cause any more trouble for her.
After I dropped Kaitlyn off at her place, I thought it over. There was no way Danica’s issue could escalate to a courtroom.
It seemed I had no choice but to go beg Fletcher.
Kaitlyn was willing to sacrifice for the company, so my pride didn’t matter as much.
When the taxi stopped in front of the Lynton Group building, night had already fallen. I took a deep breath, stepped out, and walked into the building, only to be stopped by the security guard.
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“Mr. Lynton asked to see me,” I said, lying through my teeth. “My phone’s dead. Could you please let him know I’m here?”
The guard eyed me skeptically, not sure whether to believe me.
The situation was urgent, so I went all in. “Don’t worry. Mr. Lynton and I go way back. He won’t hold this against you.”
As soon as I said that, the guard straightened up and bowed to someone behind me. “Good evening, Mr. Lynton.”
I turned around and felt my face flush with embarrassment.
Fletcher and Duke were standing just a meter away.
Judging from Fletcher’s stiff expression, he
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must have overheard my conversation with the guard.
“Mr. Lynton, this young lady says…”
Not wanting to get blacklisted by Lynton Group’s security system, I forced a smile and quickly cut him off, “Mr. Lynton, where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
Maybe because I had a few drinks, my voice came out softer than usual, laced with a hint of flattery and appeasement.
Fletcher seemed to catch onto that. His brows furrowed deeper, his tone sharp. “You’ve been drinking?”
He didn’t immediately tell me to leave.
I nodded, pinched the palm of my hand, and,
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with a forced smile, asked, “My head’s a bit dizzy, Mr. Lynton, could I have a glass of juice?”
At the sound of my words, a flash of mockery crossed his eyes. With a cold snort, he walked straight toward the elevator.
He didn’t spare me a single unnecessary word.
Instantly, I felt like I had fallen into an ice cavern, my heart slowly sinking.
How could someone as clever as Fletcher not see through my scheme?
But I wasn’t Davina. I couldn’t get the slightest bit of pity from this man.
I had never received it before, and I wouldn’t
now.
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Just as I was about to give up, Duke’s voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. “Mrs. Lynton, don’t just stand there. The elevator’s almost here.”
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