Chapter 7

After Gregory sent the two kids to school, he went to work. His assistant, Jeremy Zeller, went up to him the moment he stepped into the company. Jeremy reported seriously, "Mr. Hart, did you hear? Solvance Pharmaceuticals has a new major shareholder." Gregory's expression darkened slightly. He took the tablet from Jeremy and glanced at the Financial Times headline. It read, "Leading pharmaceutical giant Solvance Pharmaceuticals is undergoing major ownership restructuring! Sources report that former chairman Zachary Knight sold his 25% stake last night. The buyer's identity remains undisclosed." Jeremy followed closely behind as he continued reporting, "According to my findings, that mysterious buyer didn't just purchase Zachary's shares. "Over the past six months, he's also been quietly acquiring smaller stakes from other shareholders. Put together, he now controls more than 50% of the company.” That meant the mysterious buyer was now the newest owner of Solvance Pharmaceuticals. Adjusting his glasses, Jeremy continued, "Solvance Pharmaceuticals is still one of our biggest partners. The partnership that Mrs. Hart negotiated five years ago expired last month, and the renewal's been delayed ever since. "Now, there's even a new owner, and we still have no clue about his identity." As Gregory stepped into the elevator, the glass walls reflected his grim expression. "How about Zachary? He hasn't said anything at all?" Jeremy hesitated before replying, "Zachary and his entire family flew out this morning. It seems like he's planning to lie low abroad for a while. "I'm afraid Mrs. Hart is the only one who knows about his contact, but given her current condition…" Gregory's expression sank further. No one knew Cassandra had woken up, and he had no plans to change that. Back then, Solvance Pharmaceuticals had chosen to partner with Nimbus Group over countless competitors because of Cassandra. Cassandra had once saved the life of Zachary's wife. Out of gratitude, Zachary was willing to give Nimbus Group a chance. Even while pregnant, Cassandra pushed herself to deliver an outstanding new drug development proposal, earning Zachary's full respect. It was because of her that he signed a five-year partnership contract with Nimbus Group without hesitation. Gregory's gaze darkened. "Are you saying we can't run our company without Cassandra? I don't care what it takes. Find out who the new owner of Solvance Pharmaceuticals is in three days." "Okay," Jeremy agreed. Forcing down his anger, Gregory strode into his office. As he pushed the door open, he caught sight of Olivia bent over his desk, neatly arranging his papers. She was dressed in a crisp white pencil skirt that outlined her curves perfectly. The sight made Gregory's throat tighten before he forced himself to look away. Hearing his footsteps, Olivia turned around and flashed him a sweet smile. "Mr. Hart, good morning." Before Gregory could reply, his phone buzzed with a call from the villa's landline. He didn't need to glance at the caller ID to know that it was Cassandra calling. The thought of her alone was enough to remind him of Solvance Pharmaceuticals and sour his mood. He drew a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down before he spoke. "Yes, Cass?" he asked in his usual gentle tone. Cassandra replied, "Gregory, there's something I forgot to ask you. I'd like to have someone come in and tend the yard. You don't mind, do you?" Gregory furrowed his eyebrows, figuring she only wanted to hire someone to pull some weeds. After all, Cassandra had single-handedly planted all the tulips in the yard just because he said he liked them. There was no way she would ever change anything. Gregory almost found it amusing how she'd worn her hands raw over an offhand remark. Back then, a single smile from him was enough to make it all worth it. Her whole world revolved around him, and for a time, Gregory couldn't deny that he'd been touched. As a wife, Cassandra had been flawless. She'd helped him gain a foothold in his company and devoted her life to their family. Yet, she was far too predictable, far too ordinary. Gregory replied indifferently, "You can take charge at home. I have work to do." As if on call, Olivia stepped over in her high heels. "Mr. Hart, the meeting is about to begin." Cassandra couldn't help but sneer inwardly when she heard Olivia's pretentious voice. At this hour, he'd have just arrived at the office. The two of them really couldn't wait, could they? Cassandra replied obediently, "Okay. I'll let you get to your meeting." Gregory gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment, but the line went dead before he could hang up. He froze and stared at the screen with a frown. He couldn't believe Cassandra hung up first. Back then, she had always waited for him to hang up first. "What's wrong, Mr. Hart?" Olivia's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Looking at him worriedly, Olivia brushed her chest lightly against his arm. Yet, Gregory didn't do anything about it. A faint smile tugged at Olivia's lips as she leaned in closer, reaching up to smooth the furrow between his brows in a gesture that felt far too intimate. "Did Cassandra upset you again?" It was true that Cassandra provoked him, but it felt a bit too childish to admit that he was mad because she hung up first. For some reason, he had a feeling that Cassandra seemed different after her coma. A twinge of annoyance shot through him. Just as he was about to brush Olivia's hand away, the door swung open behind him. A teasing voice sounded, "Well, it seems like I came at a bad time. Didn't mean to interrupt you and your wife." Olivia's face flushed red. She stepped back quickly and murmured, "Callum." The person at the door was Callum Mason. The Hart and Mason families went way back, and he and Gregory were roommates during college. Once Olivia had slipped out, Gregory shot him a cold look. "Do you always have to run your mouth?" Callum sat across from him lazily. "What? There's no one else around. Besides, didn't we used to call that during college—" Suddenly, Gregory hurled the nearest file at him. Callum dodged the file with ease. He then straightened up and said, "Enough fooling around. I'm sure you know about the change of ownership in Solvance Pharmaceuticals, right?" Gregory sighed. "I'm already having someone look into the new owner." Leaning forward, Callum lowered his voice. "Well, I overheard from my father that there's a good chance the new boss is from the Lockwood family." Gregory's expression darkened when he heard him mention the Lockwood family.