Chapter 186 Strong Connection

My eyes widened in shock as I stared at Cole. Cole Jackman? Wasn't he my uncle's eldest son? I vaguely remembered someone like that from childhood, but he was much older than me. It had been so long since I last saw him, and with everything that had happened in my past life, I had completely forgotten about him. No wonder he looked so familiar. His features were almost identical to Clover's, as if they were carved from the same mold. However, their personalities were completely different. That was why I didn't recognize him right away. Cole let go of my hand and elegantly took a seat. "Take a seat," he said casually. "Alright." I nodded, snapping out of my daze, and obediently sat down. I never expected that the program director was my cousin. His demeanor was similar to Yvette's. It was obvious that he was a businessman; he didn't seem like a mere employee. Cole's aloof demeanor completely differed from Clover's habit of affectionately calling me. He didn't exude any warmth. Then, he reached out and handed me a gift box. "Here's a gift for this meeting." I was taken aback. Didn't he come over to discuss Lila's situation? Why were we suddenly exchanging pleasantries? Cole sat casually, but his demeanor didn't leave room for refusal. "Open it and have a look." His voice was gentle, but his tone was firm. It gave people a sense of pressure. I opened the box and saw that it was a beautiful emerald ring. The emerald's clarity was flawless, and the green hue was vibrant. It exuded elegance. It was a masterpiece that was delicate, refined, and undeniably expensive. Judging by its craftsmanship and quality, this ring was worth tens of millions of dollars. I was so frightened that I carefully put the ring back in the box. "It's too valuable. I can't accept it." Cole raised his eyebrow. "Your uncle bought you a house, and Clover gave you furniture. You accepted their gifts, so why can't you accept mine?" There wasn't any expression on his face, but I could see the words, "It's an insult if you refuse me," written on his face. What had I done to deserve such generous treatment? Why was my family so eager to shower me with gifts? I hadn't seen them in ages, yet they were so nice to me and knew all about me, acting like they had been monitoring my life every step of the way. Although that was my thought, I couldn't help feeling touched. I wanted to shout, "Cole, having you in my life is such a blessing!" "I'll accept it then." Cole's expression was difficult to read. "Stay here for now. I'll take you back to Grandpa's house so that you can stay there for a few days. You don't need to trouble Uncle Benjamin. Let him focus on his treatment." Surprised, I asked, "I thought Uncle Benjamin didn't want to get treatment before?" "He's completely different. That's not important now. Let's talk about Lila." Cole picked up the documents on the desk and flipped to a picture of Lila. "Is she the one who paid 500 grand for Uncle Benjamin's medical expenses?" "Yeah." "She's not bad." Cole raised his head and looked at me. With a nonchalant voice, he asked, "Do you like her?" My heart skipped a beat. After hesitating for a moment, I nodded. "Yes, I do." After all, I liked her as a friend. At that, Cole's gaze flickered. Gathering my courage, I said cautiously, "Cole, could you help her get back on the program? It's really important to her, and she's very important to me. I just want to help her." Cole's expression softened. It was as though spring had arrived, melting the frost in his expression. He smiled as he seemed to like me calling him by his name. He didn't answer me directly. Instead, he steered the conversation in a different direction. "I heard that Uncle Benjamin and Clover received special gifts you designed for them. Do I get one too?" I nodded quickly. "Of course, you have one too! You're my cousin. How could I not prepare something for you?" Cole's smile deepened. With a hint of mischief in his eyes, he said, "Since you need help, I'll let Lila return to the show." Was this what it felt like to have someone pull strings? It felt incredible! I was so happy that I hurriedly pulled out a bank card and handed it to Cole. "Thank you so much, Cole! I don't want to make things hard for you, so here's 20 million dollars. The password is 888888. Use it to smooth things over with the higher-ups and shut everyone up." Cole pushed the card back toward me. With a relaxed but firm tone, he responded, "I'm the boss. If I'm helping my cousin, who would dare complain?" My eyes widened. It all made sense now! Based on his identity and demeanor, how could he just be an employee? It was obvious that he was a boss. Suddenly, I thought that my grandfather's family was amazing. I looked at Cole with newfound admiration, my eyes practically sparkling. This was how a true family should be. They doted on me so much. What was I thinking in my previous life? Why had I cut off ties with my grandfather's family? My uncle and cousins treated me so well. And there I was in my past life, cutting ties with them and wasting my time on toxic relationships. I had to have been out of my mind. "Cole, you're the best! Your gift is going to be extra special. I love you so much!" When Cole saw how happy I was, his smile deepened. With a gentle voice, he said, "There's an auction coming up soon. Have Clover accompany you. I want something from it, but I don't have the time to go." An auction? It should be the auction I saw in my previous life. The highlight was Damian Zeller's painting that I sold ahead of time. Would this time be different? "Alright." I nodded eagerly. I would do whatever Cole said. From now on, I was his number one fan! Besides, I wanted to see if I could get anything from the auction. After all, I would be going to my grandfather's house soon, but I hadn't prepared any gift. I happened to owe a bunch of people gifts as well. I need to look for some materials. Cole said that he wanted to send me back to rest, suggesting I stay at his place in the meantime. But since I had already booked a hotel and had missed the time to return the room, it would be a waste if I didn't stay there. Besides, the hotel was near the hospital and could visit Lila at times. So, I politely declined and planned to go over to his place the next day. He didn't insist and had Natasha see me off. Natasha looked at me with a mix of awe and respect. "I've been working with Mr. Jackman for three years, and I've never seen him smile before. You're really quite something, Mr. Yates. I was equally surprised. "Really? I had no idea. He smiled a lot just now."