Sorry Sir I Don’t Want You Back Chapter 30
Hudson swiveled his chair and growled out the name of whoever dared to enter the room when he had explicitly demanded to be left alone with Cherise.
Logan, comparable to Hudson's handsomeness but with a different temperament, looking dashing in a similar black three- piece tailored suit like Hudson, stepped toward Cherise at the same time Cherise stepped toward him, and they kissed each other's cheeks. "You arrived just in time, or I might have punched him in the face already," Cherise whispered with a smile. "Sorry for the delay, but I'd gladly see you bruise his face," Logan chuckled in a low tone.
Hudson, who was sitting in his seat, couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he nearly saw red from how Cherise and Logan were behaving - from the way Logan placed his hands on Cherise's waist, the way Cherise placed her hands on Logan's biceps, the way Cherise looked up and welcomed Logan's kiss and even kissed him back to the way they whispered and laughed between themselves.
In his eyes, those gestures were just too intimate to be done with business partners. Then he recalled how his ex-wife had danced with Logan and how that bastard punched him last time at the club.
And how dared they behave intimately like he wasn't even there? He, Hudson Amery, the CEO of the Amery Group, was supposed to be the center of attention everywhere he was, but this Logan Jennings did not even greet him, preferring to touch and kiss Cherise, who was just a personal assistant.
"Logan Jennings..." Hudson said through gritted teeth, not even bothering to stand up to greet him. Once again, he showed his dominance in his own way, with a cold aura, arms folded across his chest, and eyes boring deeply into his 'enemy'. "Hudson Amery," Logan nodded with a slight smile to return Hudson's greeting, not feeling intimidated at all. He was used to all sorts of people, including the mafias.
Someone like Hudson could not and would not be able to intimidate him, no matter how much pressure he was giving out. Especially since Cherise was here and he felt the need to protect her.
"Aren't you disrespectful and have no manners?" Hudson curled his lips into a slight smile that did not reach his eyes. "You know I asked everyone to leave us because I need to talk to Cherise alone."
"Is that so?" Logan asked with a faint smile, one of his arms still circling around Cherise's waist, a gesture that Hudson saw as one of possessiveness.
"But no one stops me from coming in," Logan continued, and his smile grew gentler as he shifted his focus to Cherise, who was also looking at him with a smile of her own, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Julian Alster and Logan Jennings, huh?" He took his eyes away from Logan's hand resting on Cherise's waist as if it had and would always belong there and fixed them on the woman who had changed a lot.
He could not recognize the timid and shy attitude his ex-wife had always shown him. Nothing about her now screamed 'reserved'. She was sassy, and what annoyed him most was how she didn't shy away from powerful men around her.
Either Julian Alster or Logan Jennings... When she stood beside either one of them, she was not overshadowed by their presence. People would notice her; that was how much she had changed now.
When they were married, she would mostly keep to herself when they went to social gatherings or make her presence as small as possible, as if she wanted all the spotlights to focus only on him, but he didn't need it. It was the reason he never brought her along anymore after a few times.
She could not place herself in a situation, or so he thought. It seemed he was wrong. Now, she could even outshine the two influential CEOs from Country A and Country C.
"Well, Mr. Amery, as I've said, our CEO will not regret severing our partnership because Angelworld Jewelry has already had a backup plan," Cherise smiled at him, not stepping away from Logan's hold.
Her words brought Hudson's mind back to reality. Backup plan...
"You are going to cooperate with the Jennings Group?" Hudson gritted his teeth to the point others might be able to hear it. He was furious by Cherise's decision.
Yes, Jennings Group was as influential as the Amery Group in their respective countries, but they had had a successful partnership for the past three years!
Why would she suddenly terminate their contract when both companies had reaped sky-high benefits and chose Jennings Group, which had not even entered the jewelry market?
A thought popped into his head, and Hudson sneered at himself. It turned out Finley might be right, after all. It was all to get his attention.
"Leave us alone," Hudson said to Logan, which Logan was about to say no, but Hudson threatened Cherise in his next sentence. "Or I won't sign the termination contract."
Cherise looked at him in annoyance but whispered that it was all right for Logan to leave them alone.
"I'll be outside if you need me," Logan said softly but enough for Hudson to hear, sneering at his so-called 'ready to save the damsel in distress' words.
"Speak," Cherise didn't bother hiding her irritation the moment Logan left them alone.
Hudson did reply right away. Instead, he rose from his seat slowly, gracefully, and took steps toward Cherise.
Cherise gritted her teeth, trying her hardest to stay still, not wanting to show how intimidated she felt at that moment, especially when Hudson came too close to her and loomed above her due to their height difference. Hudson smirked when he saw all the subtle signs of anger, anxiety, and fear in Cherise's body language. This should be how she behaved around him, he thought to himself.
"Julian Alster and Logan Jennings, huh? Do you think being with them is enough to make me jealous, Cherise?" He repeated his earlier words, and this time, Cherise was able to roll her eyes.
'This matter again?' she thought.
"Don't think too highly of yourself, Mr. Amery. A partnership with Jennings Group will be more beneficial than with Amery Group as we can spread our wings to Country C," Cherise tried to reply as professionally as she could. How Hudson could think she was trying to make him jealous was beyond her. But then he was a narcissistic CEO; what did she expect?
"And please, you are being too close to me, and it's very inappropriate," Cherise tried to shove Hudson away from her, but she realized it was a wrong move to make because Hudson seized both her wrists. "Mr. Amery, let my hands go!" She glared at him.
"Why?" Hudson tilted his head down until their faces were only a breath away.
Cherise turned her head sideways, not wanting to be kissed or even looked into his dark eyes that seemed to always be able to suck her soul away.
"Because it is inappropriate," she replied again, this time with more determination.
Hudson sneered and let her hands go. "So it's inappropriate for me to be close to you yet it's appropriate for Logan Jennings?"
"He's going into partnership with Angelworld Jewelry," Cherise glared at him.
"So it's that way for you to get a new partnership?" Hudson narrowed his eyes. "To let every representative touch you anyhow they like?"
Cherise couldn't take it anymore, so she raised her hand and slapped Hudson hard on his cheek. "Watch your word, Mr. Amery. You know nothing about me, so don't accuse me of doing something I will ever do."
Hudson rubbed his stinging cheek but didn't get angry. "I'm just warning you, Cherise. It is how I see it, and that is how others will perceive it too."
He then went back to his seat and sat down. "As for you saying I know nothing about you... You seem to be right. You've changed a lot since we divorced, which made me wonder... Why did you pretend to be timid and shy when we were married?" Cherise did not even want to answer such a stupid question, so instead, she said, "It's all in the past. Need I remind you again, Hudson, that we are ex-husband and ex-wife, and that means everything that happened between us in the past does not need to be brought up over and over again."
"Then let me tell you something, Cherise," Hudson's tone grew cold. "As my ex-wife, do not go around latching onto every wealthy man. It will reflect poorly on me."
Cherise couldn't believe her ears. It would reflect poorly on him?Property © NôvelDrama.Org.
She couldn't contain her laughter of anger. "You are the one who cheated during our marriage. I don't think my closeness with Julian or Logan will damage your reputation even more. And rather than caring about my reputation, you should care more about your beloved Emely's reputation. You wouldn't want her to be labeled as a mistress, would you?"
Hudson frowned and wanted to reply, but Cherise was already walking toward the door and opening it. "Gentlemen, let's continue and finish our meeting now."
With her words, everyone resumed their seats, with Logan sitting beside Cherise and their lawyers on the other side and Hudson and his lawyer across from them.
Logan's lawyer was the first to slide the two copies of their cooperation termination contracts, and Hudson's lawyer checked them while Hudson kept his eyes on Cherise and Logan. God knew they were whispering about what stuff, but it must be good, as both of them had smiles on their faces.
After ensuring everything was as discussed over the faxes, Hudson's lawyer passed him the contracts, and he signed them without even checking on them.
Miles and his lawyer were quite surprised because this wasn't like their usual meticulous boss, who would always recheck everything, but they did not dare question his action.
Next, it was Angelworld Jewelry's lawyer's turn to pass them both copies of their termination contract, but unlike before, Hudson reached out to check the terms himself and sneered when he saw that the amount for breaching the contract had really been changed into ten times the initial amount.
Since they wanted it, then he would give it to them. He signed both copies without hesitation and stood up to leave. He did not want to be there much longer, but he still felt the need to deliver one last warning, "Do not regret this."
Logan and Cherise shared a look, and Cherise laughed out loud. What an arse. He would be the one who would regret it, not them. After signing their new contracts, Neil brought them two glasses and a bottle of champagne to celebrate their new partnership.
"Here is to a successful cooperation," Cherise lifted her glass and said with a smile. Logan smiled back and clinked his glass with her.
Now, he would at least do something to repay her. He would do everything in his power to ensure Angelworld Jewelry would be the most well-known jewelry company in Country C, just for the girl who was everything to him, he thought to himself while smiling at her.